Meanings
nounaretocracy (countable and uncountable, plural aretocracies)
plural aretocracies
- countableuncommonuncountableA form of governance or political organization in which authority or eligibility for public office is based on virtue, moral excellence, or demonstrated civic merit.
It was a revolution, reader, a transition from republic to dictatorship in fifty years without a single drop of blood. Detractors call it a cult of charisma, but the Humanists themselves use aretocracy, rule by excellence.
2016, Ada Palmer, Too Like the Lightning, →ISBN, page 150
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Origin
- Ancient Greekἀρετή
- Englisharetocracy
From arete (“virtue, excellence”) + -o- + -cracy, from Ancient Greek ἀρετή (aretḗ).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
aretocracy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aretocracy
MLA
“aretocracy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aretocracy. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “aretocracy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aretocracy.
Source: aretocracy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.