Meanings
plural kleptocracies · alternative cleptocracy
- A corrupt and dishonest government or society characterised by theft and greed.
WikiLeaks did not cause these uprisings but it certainly informed them. The dispatches revealed details of corruption and kleptocracy that many Tunisians suspected, but could not prove, and would cite as they took to the streets.
2013 June 7, Gary Younge, “Hypocrisy lies at heart of Manning prosecution”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 181 more example
Quevedo, no ordinary person, is very amusing. His Visions of Hell in particular, though of a very different kind from Dante's, are more edifying. But our business at present is with his "History of Paul the Spanish Sharper, the Pattern of Rogues and Mirror of Vagabonds." We do not know that he deserves these appellations so much as some others but they are to be looked upon as titular ornaments, common to the Spanish Kleptocracy.
1819 December 29, Leigh Hunt, “THIEVES, ANCIENT AND MODERN”, in The Indicator, number 12, page 95Synonyms: corruptocracy, kleptarchy
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA corrupt and dishonest government or society characterised by theft and greed.
Origin
- Englishklepto-
- Proto-Indo-European*kret-
- Ancient Greekκρᾰ́τος (krắtos)
- Englishkleptocracy
Translations
Arabic كْلِيبْتُقْرَاطِيَّة
- كْلِيبْتُقْرَاطِيَّة (klībtuqrāṭiyya)corrupt and dishonest government
Bulgarian клептокра́ция
- клептокра́ция (kleptokrácija)corrupt and dishonest government
Catalan cleptocràcia
- cleptocràciacorrupt and dishonest government
Chinese Mandarin 竊盜統治 /窃盗统治, 盜賊統治 /盗贼统治
- 竊盜統治 /窃盗统治 (qièdàotǒngzhì)corrupt and dishonest government
- 盜賊統治 /盗贼统治 (dàozéi tǒngzhì)corrupt and dishonest government
Czech kleptokracie
- kleptokraciecorrupt and dishonest government
Danish kleptokrati
- kleptokraticorrupt and dishonest government
Dutch kleptocratie
- kleptocratiecorrupt and dishonest government
Estonian kleptokraatia
- kleptokraatiacorrupt and dishonest government
Finnish kleptokratia
- kleptokratiacorrupt and dishonest government
French kleptocratie
- kleptocratiecorrupt and dishonest government
German Kleptokratie, Diebesherrschaft
- Kleptokratiecorrupt and dishonest government
- Diebesherrschaftcorrupt and dishonest government
Greek κλεπτοκρατία
- κλεπτοκρατία (kleptokratía)corrupt and dishonest government
Hebrew קלפטוקרטיה
- קלפטוקרטיה (kleptokrátya)corrupt and dishonest government
Hindi क्लेप्टोक्रेसी, चोर-तंत्र
- क्लेप्टोक्रेसी (klepṭokresī)corrupt and dishonest government
- चोर-तंत्र (cor-tantra)corrupt and dishonest government
Hungarian kleptokrácia
- kleptokráciacorrupt and dishonest government
Icelandic þjófræði
- þjófræðicorrupt and dishonest government
Indonesian kleptokrasi
- kleptokrasicorrupt and dishonest government
Italian cleptocrazia
- cleptocraziacorrupt and dishonest government
Japanese 泥棒政治, クレプトクラシー
- 泥棒政治corrupt and dishonest government
- クレプトクラシーcorrupt and dishonest government
Korean 도둑정치
- 도둑정치 (dodukjeongchi)corrupt and dishonest government
Latvian kleptokrātija
- kleptokrātijacorrupt and dishonest government
Lithuanian kleptokratija
- kleptokratijacorrupt and dishonest government
Malay kleptokrasi
- kleptokrasicorrupt and dishonest government
Norwegian Bokmål kleptokrati
- kleptokraticorrupt and dishonest government
Persian دزدسالاری, کلپتوکراسی
- دزدسالاری (dozdsâlâri)corrupt and dishonest government
- کلپتوکراسی (kleptokrâsi)corrupt and dishonest government
Polish kleptokracja
- kleptokracjacorrupt and dishonest government
Portuguese cleptocracia
- cleptocraciacorrupt and dishonest government
Romanian cleptocrație
- cleptocrațiecorrupt and dishonest government
Russian клептокра́тия
- клептокра́тия (kleptokrátija)corrupt and dishonest government
Slovak kleptokracia
- kleptokraciacorrupt and dishonest government
Spanish cleptocracia
- cleptocraciacorrupt and dishonest government
Swedish kleptokrati
- kleptokraticorrupt and dishonest government
Thai โจราธิปไตย
- โจราธิปไตยcorrupt and dishonest government
Turkish kleptokrasi
- kleptokrasicorrupt and dishonest government
Ukrainian клептокра́тія
- клептокра́тія (kleptokrátija)corrupt and dishonest government
Vietnamese chế độ đạo tặc
- chế độ đạo tặccorrupt and dishonest government
Cite this entry
kleptocracy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kleptocracy
“kleptocracy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kleptocracy. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kleptocracy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kleptocracy.
Source: kleptocracy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.