Aristocracy vs. Oligarchy

Aristocracynoun

The nobility, or the hereditary ruling class.

Aristocracynoun

Government by such a class, or a state with such a government

Aristocracynoun

A class of people considered (not normally universally) superior to others

Aristocracynoun

Government by the best citizens.

Aristocracynoun

A ruling body composed of the best citizens.

Aristocracynoun

A form a government, in which the supreme power is vested in the principal persons of a state, or in a privileged order; an oligarchy.

Aristocracynoun

The nobles or chief persons in a state; a privileged class or patrician order; (in a popular use) those who are regarded as superior to the rest of the community, as in rank, fortune, or intellect.

Aristocracynoun

a privileged class holding hereditary titles

Aristocracynoun

the most powerful members of a society

Aristocracynoun

the highest class in certain societies, typically comprising people of noble birth holding hereditary titles and offices

Aristocracynoun

a form of government in which power is held by the nobility.

Aristocracynoun

a state in which governing power is held by the nobility.

Aristocracynoun

a group regarded as privileged or superior in a particular sphere

Aristocracy

Aristocracy (Greek: ἀριστοκρατία aristokratía, from ἄριστος aristos 'excellent', and κράτος, kratos 'rule') is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning 'rule of the best'.At the time of the word's origins in ancient Greece, the Greeks conceived it as rule by the best-qualified citizens—and often contrasted it favorably with monarchy, rule by an individual.

Oligarchynoun

A government run by only a few, often the wealthy.

Oligarchynoun

Those who make up an oligarchic government.

Oligarchynoun

A state ruled by such a government.

Oligarchynoun

A form of government in which the supreme power is placed in the hands of a few persons; also, those who form the ruling few.

Oligarchynoun

a political system governed by a few people

Oligarchy

Oligarchy (from Greek ὀλιγαρχία (oligarkhía); from ὀλίγος (olígos) 'few', and ἄρχω (arkho) 'to rule or to command') is a form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people may or may not be distinguished by one or several characteristics, such as nobility, fame, wealth, education, corporate, religious, political, or military control.