Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PLUTOCRAT
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pronounce
PLUTOCRAT:
Say it "PLOO tuh crat."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
In case you weren't sure, Pluto, the planet, was named for Pluto, the mythical god. And the mythical god was named for the concept of wealth: in the myths, Pluto was in charge of wealth, along with the dead, and the underworld. (Pluto, the cartoon dog? That's a murky one.)
But forget about the dead and the underworld, and focus on the money, because our word plutocrat means "a ridiculously rich and powerful person." Someone like Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk. It's a fairly insulting word, so if you're trying to sound neutral or even respectful toward one of these insanely affluent men, instead of calling him a plutocrat, you might call him a mag____ or a ty____.
Can you recall those two synonyms? The first one comes from Latin and literally means "great or noble person." And the second comes from Chinese and literally means "great lord."
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
Combine some Greek bits for "wealth" (ploutos) and "rule" (-kratia), and you get our word "plutocracy," meaning "a society or government in which the wealthy people are the ones in power." The plutocracy can also be the entire class of people who are so wealthy that they wield enormous power in society.
We've used that word, "plutocracy," in English since about 1631. And since about 1810, we've referred to members of the plutocracy as "plutocrats."
In other words, a plutocrat is someone who's so extremely rich that they're also extremely powerful.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Noun, the countable kind: "She dreams of becoming a plutocrat;" "Gilded Age plutocrats hunted fox and summered in these hills (New York Times)."
Other forms:
Plutocrats, plutocracy; plutocratic or plutocratical, plutocratically.
An alternate to "plutocracy" is "plutarchy," pronounced "PLOO tar key," which also literally means "rule by the wealthy."
how to use it:
The word "plutocrat" is formal, semi-common, and very often sharply negative, suggesting that someone is both money-grubbing and power-grubbing despite already being enormously rich and powerful.
For that reason, maybe, we don't often directly label someone a plutocrat; more often, we talk about plutocrats in general: "You'd have to be a plutocrat to afford this;" "Today’s plutocrats invest in what was the low art of their childhoods (Time)."
examples:
"Finally, a new restaurant in Tribeca that doesn’t exclusively cater to plutocrats. Three courses for sixty-five dollars isn't cheap, but it doesn’t feel outrageous, either. "
— Amelia Lester, The New Yorker, 28 December 2014
"[The interview with Johnny Depp] was given in a sepulchral rented mansion in north London's eerie 'Millionaire's Row' district of Bishopswood Road, notorious for deserted megahouses purchased by absentee plutocrat investors."
— Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian, 11 July 2019
has this page helped you understand "plutocrat"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "plutocrat" without saying "nabob" or "powerful rich person."
try it out:
Depending on which newspapers you read, you'll constantly see plutocrats getting praised, slammed, or both.
In your opinion, who's currently the world's best, worst, or most controversial plutocrat? Why?
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month is Subject Line Matching!
Try matching each capitalized term below with the email subject line that introduced it. You can check your answers by scrolling all the way down. For an extra challenge, try recalling what each term means and how the subject line connects to it. Have fun!
BLASÉ: _____
EFFRONTERY: _____
EXEGESIS: _____
GRAFFITO: _____
RABBLE: _____
I'd like to complain about this free appetizer
letting the pigeon drive the bus
One art, please
term of venery for Tolkienian dwarves?
when the CliffsNotes are longer than the book
review this word:
A. a PLEBEIAN (an average Joe).
B. a PANTHEON (a group of gods or superstars).
C. a PERSONA GRATA (a person who is warmly welcomed).
2.
A writer for Time referred to David O. Selznick and Samuel Goldwyn as "plutocrats" of an American industry, _____.
A. "potentates" and "Hollywood rajas"
B. "cerebrals" and "Hollywood geniuses"
C. "game-changers" and "Hollywood iconoclasts"
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
In case you weren't sure, Pluto, the planet, was named for Pluto, the mythical god. And the mythical god was named for the concept of wealth: in the myths, Pluto was in charge of wealth, along with the dead, and the underworld. (Pluto, the cartoon dog? That's a murky one.)
Combine some Greek bits for "wealth" (ploutos) and "rule" (-kratia), and you get our word "plutocracy," meaning "a society or government in which the wealthy people are the ones in power." The plutocracy can also be the entire class of people who are so wealthy that they wield enormous power in society.
Part of speech:
The word "plutocrat" is formal, semi-common, and very often sharply negative, suggesting that someone is both money-grubbing and power-grubbing despite already being enormously rich and powerful.
"Finally, a new restaurant in Tribeca that doesn’t exclusively cater to plutocrats. Three courses for sixty-five dollars isn't cheap, but it doesn’t feel outrageous, either. "
Explain the meaning of "plutocrat" without saying "nabob" or "powerful rich person."
Depending on which newspapers you read, you'll constantly see plutocrats getting praised, slammed, or both.
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
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