gerontocracy
noun
ger·on·toc·ra·cy ˌjer-ən-ˈtä-krə-sē 
plural gerontocracies
: rule by elders
specifically : a form of social organization in which a group of old men or a council of elders dominates or exercises control
gerontocrat
jə-ˈrän-tə-ˌkrat
noun gerontocratic
jə-ˌrän-tə-ˈkra-tik
adjective 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web His predecessors had all died in quick succession, victims of the USSR’s gerontocracy. 
Casey Michel, The New Republic, 31 Aug. 2022 And now television is turning into a virtual gerontocracy as well. Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 29 July 2022 The result is that, in a time of inarguable crisis, the grip of the gerontocracy remains strong in both of America’s political parties. Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 28 July 2022 Musk’s comments are in line with his previous critiques of gerontocracy—a state governed by older people—and America’s aging political leadership. Robert Hart, Forbes, 12 July 2022 Salman, the current king and at 86 one of the youngest of Abdulaziz’s brood, saw the perils of unchecked gerontocracy and anointed a successor from the next generation. Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2022 Now that Americans can expect to live more than twice that long, the government has become a gerontocracy. Charlotte Alter, Time, 21 Oct. 2021 But Congress’s gerontocracy problem shows no sign of abating. Jane Mayer, The New Yorker, 10 Dec. 2020 One reason is the rise of the American gerontocracy. Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 25 Nov. 2020 See More
Casey Michel, The New Republic, 31 Aug. 2022 And now television is turning into a virtual gerontocracy as well. Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 29 July 2022 The result is that, in a time of inarguable crisis, the grip of the gerontocracy remains strong in both of America’s political parties. Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 28 July 2022 Musk’s comments are in line with his previous critiques of gerontocracy—a state governed by older people—and America’s aging political leadership. Robert Hart, Forbes, 12 July 2022 Salman, the current king and at 86 one of the youngest of Abdulaziz’s brood, saw the perils of unchecked gerontocracy and anointed a successor from the next generation. Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2022 Now that Americans can expect to live more than twice that long, the government has become a gerontocracy. Charlotte Alter, Time, 21 Oct. 2021 But Congress’s gerontocracy problem shows no sign of abating. Jane Mayer, The New Yorker, 10 Dec. 2020 One reason is the rise of the American gerontocracy. Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 25 Nov. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
borrowed from French gérontocratie, from géronto- geronto- + -cratie -cracy
First Known Use
1830, in the meaning defined above