1. a ruling class of plantation owners, especially in colonial societies
Usage: historical

Examples

• The Caribbean plantocracy wielded enormous political and economic power during the colonial period.
• Members of the plantocracy lived in grand mansions while enslaved people worked their fields.
• The plantocracy’s influence extended far beyond their plantations into government and trade.
• After independence, the old plantocracy struggled to maintain their dominance.
• The plantocracy opposed any reforms that would threaten their labor system.
• Historians study how the plantocracy shaped colonial society and politics.