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Definition of "gerontocracy" [ger•on•toc•ra•cy]

  • Government based on rule by elders. (noun)
  • A governing group of elders. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "gerontocracy" in a sentence
  • "Perhaps because of this, analysts are increasingly inclined to use the word gerontocracy to define our form of government."
  • "Democracy has no love for the old; and it is interesting to note that the word gerontocracy to which the ancients attached the most honourable meaning is now only a term of ridicule, and is applied only to a government which, because it is in the hands of old men, is therefore grotesque."
  • "The word gerontocracy has appeared in four New York Times articles in the past year, including on Nov. 22 in "Saudi King Is Heading to U.S. for Medical Care," by Reuters:"