1. plural of ochlocracy; systems of government in which power rests with the mob or the masses, often characterized by mob rule and the absence of legal restraint.
Usage: formal; political term; often used critically or pejoratively

Examples

• Historians warn that ochlocracies often emerge when institutions fail to protect minority rights.
• The political theorist argued that unchecked populism could devolve into ochlocracies.
• Ancient philosophers feared ochlocracies more than tyranny because of their unpredictability.
• The breakdown of law and order during the riots resembled descriptions of ochlocracies in classical texts.
• Democratic societies must guard against ochlocracies by maintaining strong constitutional protections.