pornocracy

Syllables: por·no·cra·cy/pɔːˈnɒkɹəsɪ/US/pɔɹˈnɑkɹəsi/

pornocracy proper noun: the period of the papacy known as the saeculum obscūrum (Latin for “dark age”), and also as the “Rule of the Harlots”, which began with the installation of Pope Sergius III in 904 and lasted for sixty years until the death of Pope John XII in 964, during which time the popes were strongly influenced by the Theophylacti, a powerful and corrupt aristocratic family.

Proper noun (1)

the Pornocracy

(capitalized, historical, often) The period of the papacy known as the saeculum obscūrum (Latin for “dark age”), and also as the “Rule of the Harlots”, which began with the installation of Pope Sergius III in 904 and lasted for sixty years until the death of Pope John XII in 964, during which time the popes were strongly influenced by the Theophylacti, a powerful and corrupt aristocratic family.
- Under the pornocracy (government of harlots) in the first half of the 10th century, the Papacy was degraded and all Italy torn by factions.1855, C. Ullmann, “[Second Book. John of Wesel, or The Necessity for the Reformation in Reference to Particular Things in the Church, Especially Indulgences, and the Corruption of the Clergy.]...
- Monsters of impurity, avaricious wretches, poisoners, have occupied the papal see. A learned bishop (Maret of the General Council) expresses himself with holy indignation in reference to the frightful enormities of the tenth century. This epoch deserves to be designated under the title of the...1870 July, Jean-Henri Merle d’Aubigné, “Art. VII.—Dr Merle D’Aubigne on the Council and Infallibility. The Council and Infallibility: An Address Delivered at Geneva, 10th December 1869, by M. Merle...

Noun

pornocracy (plural pornocracies)

(derogatory, figuratively, often) A government by, or dominated by, prostitutes or corrupt persons.
- [Pierre-Joseph] Proudhon had a consistent—many have called it reactionary—preference for smaller and more personalized social units. His passionate defense of the traditional rural family (and attendant hatred of the “pornocracy” of Paris) was part of a relentless localism that tended to prefer...1980, James H[adley] Billington, “Schism: Marx vs. Proudhon”, in Fire in the Minds of Men: Origins of the Revolutionary Faith, New York, N.Y.: Basic Books, →ISBN; republished New Brunswick, N.J....
- Even in the confident era of bourgeois patriarchy prior to 1848, actresses had ben, at best, disgraced women who might atone for their mistakes through self-sacrifice. In the three ensuing decades, fear of pornocracy had run high. Could views of theater women transcend fears of sexual indulgence...2001, Lenard R. Berlanstein, “Imagining Republican Actresses, 1880–1914”, in Daughters of Eve: A Cultural History of French Theater Women from the Old Regime to the Fin de Siècle, Cambridge, Mass....
(derogatory) A societal culture dominated by pornography.
- If the 'meritocrat' – the 'natural' aristocrat whose success is not beholden to class or background – was a key component in the 1970s mythology, was the pornocrat the 1970s cold-light-of-day equivalent? And if the pornocrat was such a key player and empire builder, does that imply the evolution of...1998, Leon Hunt, “Coming Clean … from Robin Askwith to Mary Millington”, in British Low Culture: From Safari Suits to Sexploitation, London; New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 131
- [Bill] Clinton won the 1993 presidential election, strongly supported by the homosexual community, 95 percent of which voted for him—providing more than his margin of victory. If an American president is the greatest fictionist, and if it is not so much his politics as his poetics that helps...2006, Takayuma Tatsumi, “Pax Exotica: A New Exoticist Perspective on Audrey, Anna-chan, and Idoru”, in Full Metal Apache: Transactions between Cyberpunk Japan and Avant-pop America (Post-contemporary...

Proper noun (2) capitalized: Pornocracy

the Pornocracy

(historical) Alternative letter-case form of pornocracy.
- Monsters of impurity, avaricious wretches, poisoners, have occupied the papal see. A learned bishop (Maret of the General Council) expresses himself with holy indignation in reference to the frightful enormities of the tenth century. This epoch deserves to be designated under the title of the...1870 July, Jean-Henri Merle d’Aubigné, “Art. VII.—Dr Merle D’Aubigne on the Council and Infallibility. The Council and Infallibility: An Address Delivered at Geneva, 10th December 1869, by M. Merle...

pornocracy meaning in Malay

pornocracy in Malay

government by, or dominated by, prostitutes or corrupt persons: pornokrasi

Examples of pornocracy in a sentence

In the three ensuing decades, fear of pornocracy had run high.2001, Lenard R. Berlanstein, “Imagining Republican Actresses, 1880–1914”, in Daughters of Eve: A Cultural History of French Theater Women...
The pornocracy is essentially inhabited by two classes – there are the pornocrats themselves and the swinging elite surrounding them and there are the 'punters' over whom they rule benevolently.1998, Leon Hunt, “Coming Clean … from Robin Askwith to Mary Millington”, in British Low Culture: From Safari Suits to Sexploitation...

Forms of pornocracy

Proper noun
alternative form	Pornocracy
Noun
plural	pornocracies

Origin of pornocracy

Probably borrowed from German Pornokratie, first found in the writings of Austrian-born Biblical scholar Alfred Edersheim (1825–1889), from Ancient Greek πόρνη (pórnē, “female prostitute”) + -κρᾰτῐ́ᾱ (-krătĭ́ā, “-cracy”, suffix indicating “government, rule”); analysable as porno- + -cracy.

Words formed from pornocracy

Words that rhyme with pornocracy

38 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about pornocracy

What does pornocracy mean?: Pornocracy means the period of the papacy known as the saeculum obscūrum (Latin for “dark age”), and also as the “Rule of the Harlots”, which began with the installation of Pope Sergius III in 904 and lasted for sixty years until the death of Pope John XII in 964, during which time the popes were strongly influenced by the Theophylacti, a powerful and corrupt aristocratic family.
What is pornocracy in Malay?: Pornocracy in Malay is pornokrasi. See Pornocracy meaning in Malay.
How do you use pornocracy in a sentence?: In the three ensuing decades, fear of pornocracy had run high.
What part of speech is pornocracy?: Pornocracy can be a proper noun or a noun.
How do you pronounce pornocracy?: Pornocracy is pronounced /pɔːˈnɒkɹəsɪ/ (UK).

Words near pornocracy in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: pornocracy (page history and authors); Pornocracy (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pornocracy.wav.

Cite this entry: “pornocracy.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/pornocracy. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.