ochlocracy · noun — mob rule; government by the masses; mobocracy. It carries an Arena rating of 1618, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, ochlocracy ranks #890 of 17,130 for Most Ponderous Words, #1,487 of 17,171 for Scariest Words, #1,489 of 17,176 for Most Incisive Words, #2,367 of 17,165 for Most Satisfying to Say.
ochlocracy is pronounced /ɒkˈlɒk.ɹə.si/.
Why “ochlocracy” is a great word
Ochlocracy is rule by a volatile, impassioned mob, where the shifting collective will of a mass supplants law and institutional order. From the Ancient Greek ὀχλοκρατία (okhlokratía), from ὄχλος (ókhlos, 'crowd, mob') + κράτος (krátos, 'power, rule'). Unlike democracy, which implies structured, lawful governance by the people, or oligarchy, which denotes the calculated control of a small elite, ochlocracy is the raw tyranny of the many. It is the roar of the assembly drowning out the judge's gavel, the frenzied crowd demolishing a shop window under a righteous slogan, and the state edict hastily drafted to appease an angry square—the moment politics becomes a storm of human force that sweeps all before it and leaves only rubble in its wake.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Middle French ochlocratie, from Ancient Greek ὀχλοκρατία (okhlokratía), from ὄχλος (ókhlos, “multitude, crowd”) + κράτος (krátos, “power”). Equivalent to ochlo- + -cracy.
noun
- Mob rule; government by the masses; mobocracy.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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