junta means the committee of military officers that have usurped political control. It carries an Arena rating of 1634, earned across 26 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, junta ranks #545 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #867 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,026 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #2,532 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words.
junta is pronounced /ˈdʒʌntə/.
Why “junta” is a great word
JUNTA — [Noun] A military council that rules a country, typically after a sudden overthrow of the previous government. From Spanish junta ("a thing gathered or joined"), feminine of junto, from Latin iunctus, perfect passive participle of iungō ("to join"). Attested from 1623. Unlike a 'council' (which deliberates within established norms) or a 'regime' (a broad term for any ruling authority), a junta is a compact of force, a thing joined not by common cause but by shared ambition. It is the sudden crackle of radios at dawn, the uniformed figures clustered around a single bare bulb in a state television studio, and the stark, minimalist signature on a decree suspending all prior laws—a word that speaks not of governance, but of a grip.
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish junta (literally "a thing gathered or joined"), feminine form of junto, from Latin iunctus, perfect passive participle of iungō (“join”). Attested from 1623.
noun
- The committee of military officers that have usurped political control.
- A council, convention, tribunal or assembly; especially, the grand council of state in Spain.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- juntaism 76% match — Rule by a junta. vs junta →
- juntocracy 69% match — A form of government in which a council of military officers govern the civilian population. vs junta →
- junto 57% match — A group of men assembled for some common purpose; a club, or cabal. vs junta →
- juncture 52% match — A place where things join, a junction. vs junta →
- juncturally 48% match — In terms of a juncture. vs junta →
- pronunciamiento 47% match — A military uprising or coup in Spain or the Spanish American republics, particularly in the 19th century, usually accompanied by a statement declaring the existing government null and void. vs junta →
- dictature 46% match — Office of a dictator; dictatorship. vs junta →
- putsch 45% match — A coup d'état; an illegal effort to forcibly overthrow the current government. vs junta →