Dictionary

ochlocracy en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ɑkˈlɑ.kɹə.si/ (General-American)
• /ɒkˈlɒk.ɹə.si/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ɔkˈlɔ.kɹə.si/ (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle French ochlocratie, from Ancient Greek ὀχλοκρατία (okhlokratía), from ὄχλος (ókhlos, “multitude, crowd”) + κράτος (krátos, “power”). Equivalent to ochlo- + -cracy.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) Mob rule; government by the masses; mobocracy.
   • This constitutes a grave threat to the American Republic and degrades it into an Ochlocracy, or government by mob rule. 2021, Ronald T. Libby, American Ochlocracy: Black Lives Matter & Mob Rule, independently published →ISBN, back of the book
   • Referendums are snapshots of sentiment at a given point in time. Government by referendum is government by crowd acclamation: not democracy, but ochlocracy. That is exactly why we have representative democracy. If referendums would be a poor way to decide on health and safety, air traffic control, or education, they are an exceedingly poor way to decide a matter as momentous as membership of the EU. This is and should be a matter for Parliament, taking all factors into account. 2016 July 1, A[nthony] C[lifford] Grayling, “Professor A C Grayling’s letter to all 650 MPs urging Parliament not to support a motion to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty”, in New College of the Humanities, archived from the original on 02 Jul 2016:

Forms

Deriveds

ochlocratical · ochlocratically · ochlocratic · ochlocrat

Translations (32)

ja 暴民政治 (government by the masses) · th กฎหมู่ (government by the masses) · hy խուժանավարություն (government by the masses) · ko 중우정치 (government by the masses) · cmn 眾愚政治 /众愚政治 (government by the masses) · it oclocrazia (government by the masses) · cs ochlokracie (government by the masses) · cy torflywodraeth (government by the masses) · nl ochlocratie (government by the masses) · pt oclocracia (government by the masses) · id oklokrasi (government by the masses) · de Ochlokratie (government by the masses) · ja 衆愚政治 (government by the masses) · is skrílræði (government by the masses) · pl ochlokracja (government by the masses) · fr ochlocratie (government by the masses) · eo oĥlokratio (government by the masses) · ca oclocràcia (government by the masses) · uk охлокра́тія (government by the masses) · kk охлократия (government by the masses) · el οχλοκρατία (government by the masses) · ro oclocrație (government by the masses) · eo amasrego (government by the masses) · ru охлокра́тия (government by the masses) · fi alhaisovalta (government by the masses) · hy ամբոխավարություն (government by the masses) · sv oklokrati (government by the masses) · eo tumultrego (government by the masses) · cs lůzovláda (government by the masses) · de Pöbelherrschaft (government by the masses) · es oclocracia (government by the masses) · cmn 暴民政治 (government by the masses)