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Added 10 October 2026

autocracy

/ɔːˈtɒkɹəsi/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about autocracy at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A political system governed by a single individual.
A political theory favoring unlimited authority by a single individual.

Origin

From auto- + -cracy, from Ancient Greek αὐτοκρατία (autokratía, “A system of government by one person with absolute power.”), from αὐτός (autós, “single, self, same, alone”) + κράτος (krátos, “power”) + -ία (-ía, “feminine abstract nouns suffix”); see also Ancient Greek αὐτοκρατής (autokratḗs, “one who governs alone”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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