n. | 1. | Government by the best citizens. |
2. | A ruling body composed of the best citizens. | |
3. | 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. | |
4. | 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. |
Noun | 1. | ![]() Synonyms: nobility |
2. | aristocracy - the most powerful members of a society Synonyms: gentry |
ARISTOCRACY. That form of government in which the sovereign power is exercised by a small number of persons to the exclusion of the remainder of the people.
FFVs, absolute monarchy, aedileship, ancestry, ancienne noblesse, archbishopric, archiepiscopacy, archiepiscopate, aristocraticalness, autarchy, autocracy, autonomy, baronage, baronetage, barons, beau monde, birth, bishopric, blood, blue blood, bon ton, carriage trade, chairmanship, chancellery, chancellorate, chancellorship, chiefery, chiefry, chieftaincy, chieftainry, chieftainship, chivalry, coalition government, colonialism, commonwealth, constitutional government, constitutional monarchy, consulate, consulship, county, cream, deanery, democracy, dictatorship, dictature, directorship, distinction, dominion rule, duarchy, duumvirate, dyarchy, elect, elite, emirate, episcopacy, establishment, federal government, federation, feudal system, flower, garrison state, genteelness, gentility, gentry, gerontocracy, governorship, haut monde, headship, hegemony, heteronomy, hierarchy, hierocracy, high life, high society, home rule, honorable descent, jet set, knightage, leadership, limited monarchy, lords of creation, lordship, magistracy, magistrateship, magistrature, martial law, masterdom, mastership, mastery, mayoralty, mayorship, meritocracy, metropolitanate, metropolitanship, militarism, military government, mob rule, mobocracy, monarchy, neocolonialism, nobility, noble birth, nobleness, noblesse, noblesse de robe, ochlocracy, old nobility, oligarchy, overlapping, pantisocracy, papacy, pashadom, pashalic, patriarchate, patriarchy, patricians, patriciate, peerage, police state, pontificality, pontificate, popedom, popehood, popeship, power elite, power structure, prefectship, prefecture, premiership, presidency, presidentship, prime-ministership, prime-ministry, princedom, princeship, principality, proconsulate, proconsulship, protectorate, protectorship, provostry, provostship, pure democracy, quality, rank, rectorate, rectorship, regency, regentship, representative democracy, representative government, republic, royalty, ruling circles, ruling class, seigniory, self-determination, self-government, seneschalship, seneschalsy, sheikhdom, sheriffalty, sheriffcy, sheriffdom, shrievalty, smart set, social democracy, society, stratocracy, supervisorship, suzerainship, suzerainty, technocracy, the Four Hundred, the best, the best people, the brass, the classes, thearchy, theocracy, top people, totalitarian government, totalitarian regime, triarchy, tribunate, triumvirate, tyranny, upper class, upper classes, upper crust, upper ten, upper ten thousand, uppercut, vizierate, viziership, welfare state