Skip to main content
plutocrat

plutocrat

11 8.8
A person with power and influence because they are very rich
  • noun
  • /ˈpluːtəˌkræt/
translation icon : plutócrata
  • The annual gala attracted numerous plutocrats eager to flaunt their wealth and power.
  • aristocrats and plutocrats

Examples

  • Many critics argue that the influence of wealthy plutocrats on politics undermines democracy.

  • Journalist Chrystia Freeland has profiled them in her book, Plutocrats: The Rise of the New.

    Blog text (6)
  • I believe America will vote for salvation from the plutocrats in 2012.

    Blog text (2)
  • However, at least the often-maligned plutocrats of the business world have real money and wealth.

    Blog text (13)
  • The days when plutocrats were a force to be reckoned with in American society, economically or politically, seemed long past.

    Academic text (2004)
  • The blame for this situation lies entirely with the predatory plutocrats pigging out on the fruits of other people's labor.

    Academic text (2010)
  • In a society dominated by plutocrats, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen.

Synonyms

oligarch
vsplutocrat
41 8.4

A very rich and powerful person who is part of a small group that controls a country or organization

is the general case of wealth producing influence without required political control
tycoon
vsplutocrat
38 5.5

A very rich and powerful person who owns or controls big companies

is the wider idea of wealth giving power beyond commercial roles
baron
vsplutocrat
28 6.1

A very rich and powerful person who controls a large business or industry

is the broad concept of wealth-based influence not limited to one industry
magnate
vsplutocrat
22 7.9

A very rich and powerful person who owns or runs large businesses

is about having power and influence because of great wealth in general
fat cat
vsplutocrat
  • Offensive
22 6.3

A rich, powerful person who seems greedy and has too much power

is a neutral description of having power and influence due to great wealth
oil oligarch
vsplutocrat
  • Literature
1 8.4

A very rich and powerful person who owns or controls much of a country's oil industry

is the general wealthy-power concept not tied to one industry or region

Antonyms

19 7.4

A very poor person who depends on public charity

How Powerful

oligarch
41 8.4
plutocrat
11 8.8
tycoon
38 5.5
magnate
22 7.9
rich person
6 1.0

Surface Forms

plutocrat singular
plutocrats plural

Morphology

plutocrat = plutocracy (opaque) = plut + crat

If a learner knows 'plutocracy' they can infer that a 'plutocrat' is a person associated with rule by the wealthy, but the bound elements 'plut-' and '-crat' are not standalone English morphemes for most learners.

Etymology

The word plutocrat comes from the Greek root ploutos meaning 'wealth' and the part -krat meaning 'rule', like in democracy ('rule by the people'). So, a plutocrat is a person who has power because of great money.