Words / C / General

camarilla

noun/ˌkaməˈrɪlə/

C2CEFR level
90/100Rarity: very rare
FormalRegister

A small group of secret, scheming advisers who wield unofficial influence over a ruler.

Behind the elected government sat a camarilla of cronies who decided which laws would actually be enforced.

Similar: clique, cabal, coterie

Origin: From Spanish 'camarilla' (little chamber), diminutive of 'camara' (chamber).

Topic: power in General English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More general words: power