kleptocracy
noun
klep·toc·ra·cy klep-ˈtä-krə-sē 
plural kleptocracies
: government by those who seek chiefly status and personal gain at the expense of the governed
also : a particular government of this kind
kleptocrat
ˈklep-tə-ˌkrat
noun kleptocratic
ˌklep-tə-ˈkra-tik
adjective 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Part of this squalid story has already been told by Oliver Bullough in his excellent 2018 book, Moneyland, which described the new world order of national and international kleptocracy. 
Geoffrey Wheatcroft, The New Republic, 24 Aug. 2022 But the same system that enables kleptocracy abroad has also made Western democracies less accountable and more susceptible to corruption. Ankush Khardori, The New Republic, 6 May 2022 Crucially, some corporations that until the start of the invasion were willing to sacrifice principles to operate in a lawless kleptocracy have made their break with Putin. Alexandra Wrage, Forbes, 5 May 2022 The sanctions are designed to punish the kleptocracy behind the two-month war by cutting off access to wealth, property and luxury hiding places. Chelsey Cox, USA TODAY, 28 Apr. 2022 Newman understands how kleptocracy and oligarchic excess — both in Russia and in the West — repel and attract us in 2022. Michael Taylor, San Antonio Express-News, 27 Apr. 2022 The staggering, yet seemingly inexplicable, wealth of such families in Putin’s world, experts say, boils down to a single concept: kleptocracy. CNN, 12 Apr. 2022 Putin’s rule is a transnational criminal enterprise and should be treated much in the same way that the U.S. has approached Venezuela’s kleptocracy. Nate Sibley, National Review, 23 Feb. 2022 There’s also been great reporting about the Russian kleptocracy, [or corrupt government]. Karin Wulf, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2022 See More
Geoffrey Wheatcroft, The New Republic, 24 Aug. 2022 But the same system that enables kleptocracy abroad has also made Western democracies less accountable and more susceptible to corruption. Ankush Khardori, The New Republic, 6 May 2022 Crucially, some corporations that until the start of the invasion were willing to sacrifice principles to operate in a lawless kleptocracy have made their break with Putin. Alexandra Wrage, Forbes, 5 May 2022 The sanctions are designed to punish the kleptocracy behind the two-month war by cutting off access to wealth, property and luxury hiding places. Chelsey Cox, USA TODAY, 28 Apr. 2022 Newman understands how kleptocracy and oligarchic excess — both in Russia and in the West — repel and attract us in 2022. Michael Taylor, San Antonio Express-News, 27 Apr. 2022 The staggering, yet seemingly inexplicable, wealth of such families in Putin’s world, experts say, boils down to a single concept: kleptocracy. CNN, 12 Apr. 2022 Putin’s rule is a transnational criminal enterprise and should be treated much in the same way that the U.S. has approached Venezuela’s kleptocracy. Nate Sibley, National Review, 23 Feb. 2022 There’s also been great reporting about the Russian kleptocracy, [or corrupt government]. Karin Wulf, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1819, in the meaning defined above