oligocracy

Etymology

From oligo- + -cracy.

oligocracy means rule by a select few people. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

Why “oligocracy” is a great word

OLIGOCRACY — [Noun] A form of government in which power is held by a small, select group. From the Greek oligo- ("few") + -cracy ("rule, power"). Unlike "democracy," which posits power broadly distributed, or "oligarchy," which specifically connotes rule by a hereditary or entrenched elite for its own benefit, oligocracy is the stark, structural reality of concentrated control. It is the unanimous vote of a seven-member committee that binds millions, the whispered consensus in a closed boardroom, and the precise, identical click of briefcases locking in unison—the form that power assumes when it wishes not to be named.

noun

Rule by a select few people.