kleptocrat
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈklɛp.tə.kræt/
- Literature
:
kleptócrata
- It is thus hard to make the case that the services provided by kleptocrats are "worth it."
Examples
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The unelected, entrenched kleptocrats who stay even as new presidents and members of Congress come and go.
Blog text (5) -
Africa has long been saddled with poor, even malevolent, leadership: predatory kleptocrats, military-installed autocrats, economic illiterates, and puffed-up posturers.
Academic text (2004) -
In the other case, you will learn that he was essentially a kleptocrat who had to be stopped before he bankrupted the nation.
Blog text (5) -
Self-interest tells kleptocrats to say no to development rather than risk the public saying no to them.
Academic text (2005) -
End foreign aid; it only ends up in the pockets of criminals and kleptocrats.
Blog text (21) -
UK libel law has also made London an attractive domicile for international kleptocrats and oligarchs.
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You have often railed against the insatiability of kleptocrats, but that same insatiability applies to everybody.
Blog text (25) -
The squandering and theft of the few remaining public assets into the hands of the billionaire kleptocrats make survival for j6p that much more difficult.
Blog text (21) -
The kleptocrat embezzled millions from the country's treasury for his personal luxury.
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Many citizens suffer under the rule of a kleptocrat who prioritizes personal gain over public welfare.
Synonyms
5
7.4
A person who takes money they were trusted with, often from their employer
A person who steals money they were trusted to look after
Surface Forms
Morphology
kleptocrat = klepto + crat (semi-transparent) = klepto + crat
The combining forms clearly point to 'steal' + 'ruler', but both are bound/less familiar elements for average learners, so recognition is partial.
Etymology
The word kleptocrat comes from Greek roots: klepto- meaning 'thief' and -crat from kratos meaning 'power' or 'rule'. Think of klepto- as in kleptomaniac, someone who steals, and -crat as in autocrat or democrat which mean 'ruler', so a kleptocrat is a leader who uses power to 'steal' from the people.