noun
- a government or system in which those in power steal from the state or exploit their position for personal gain
Usage: formal; political term
Examples
- The country descended into kleptocracy as officials embezzled public funds with impunity.
- International observers warned that the regime was becoming a kleptocracy under the new leadership.
- Historians documented how the kleptocracy enriched a small elite while the population suffered.
- The anti-corruption movement sought to dismantle the kleptocracy that had plagued the nation for decades.
- Economists argued that kleptocracy stifles economic development and foreign investment.