poˈlice state noun [countable]
a country where the government strictly controls people’s freedom to meet, write, or speak about politics, travel etc

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

government [uncountable and countable] the group of people who govern a country or the system they use to govern it:
The French government did not sign the agreement.
a democratic system of government
administration [countable] the government of a country, especially one such as the US, which is led by a president:
the Kennedy administration
the problems left by the previous adminstration
regime [countable] a government, especially one that was not elected fairly or that you disapprove of:
Most people opposed the apartheid regime.
the executive [singular] the part of the government that makes sure that laws and decisions work well:
the separation of powers between the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary
democracy [uncountable and countable] a political system in which everyone can vote to choose the government, or a country that has this system:
The transition to democracy has not been easy.
In a democracy, people have freedom of speech.
republic [countable] a country that has an elected government, and is led by a president, not a king or queen:
Mauritius became a republic in 1992.
monarchy [uncountable and countable] /ˈmɒnəki $ ˈmɑːnərki/ the system of having a king or queen as the head of state, or a country that has this system:
Some monarchies have elected governments.
controversy about the institution of monarchy
dictatorship [uncountable and countable] a political system or country that has a dictator (=a leader who has complete power and who has not been elected):
Argentina was a military dictatorship until 1983.
Hungary’s years of dictatorship
totalitarian adjective [only before noun] used for describing countries in which ordinary people have no power and the government has complete control over everything:
totalitarian states such as Nazi Germany
a totalitarian dictatorship
police state [countable] a country where the government strictly controls people’s freedom, for example to travel or to talk about politics:
It’s like living in a police state.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲