Word of the Day
June 9, 2026
Aristocracy
A form of government in which power is held by a hereditary ruling class or a privileged few; rule by an elite minority.
From the Greek 'aristokratia', combining 'aristos' (best) and 'kratos' (rule or power).
Usage Examples
- The American founders broke from Britain to escape monarchy and aristocracy, declaring that all men are created equal.
- Critics warn that when government serves a connected few, a republic can drift toward aristocracy.
- The Constitution bars titles of nobility to keep an aristocracy from taking root in the United States.
From the Show
Constitutional scholar Rob Natelson traced how the American founders rejected monarchy and inherited aristocracy in favor of a republic built on the consent of the governed. That founding break from rule by a privileged few runs through An Independent Path for Colorado and the Lessons of the Founding.