kakistocracy

Meaning

Noun

• Government under the control of a nation's worst or least-qualified citizens.

Origin

• From Ancient Greek κάκιστος ("worst"), superlative of κακός + -κρατία. The word was used, perhaps re-coined, by the English author Thomas Love Peacock (1785–1866) in his 1829 novella The Misfortunes of Elphin as the opposite of aristocracy (see the quotation).