Kleptocrat

//ˈklɛptəˌkɹæt// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A ruling figure in a kleptocracy.

    "The difference between a kleptocrat and a wise statesman, between a robber baron and a public benefactor, is merely one of degree: a matter of just how large a percentage of the tribute extracted from producers is retained by the elite, and how much the commoners appreciate the public uses to which the redistributed tribute is put."

Example

More examples

"The difference between a kleptocrat and a wise statesman, between a robber baron and a public benefactor, is merely one of degree: a matter of just how large a percentage of the tribute extracted from producers is retained by the elite, and how much the commoners appreciate the public uses to which the redistributed tribute is put."

Etymology

From klepto- + -crat.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.