noun

le gouvernement

government

C'est un groupe de personnes qui dirige un pays et prend des décisions pour la société.

Definition & meaning

Gouvernement usually means government: the group of people and institutions that directs a country or region and makes or carries out public policy.

Depending on context, it can refer to:

The executive leadership, especially the prime minister and ministers.
The act or system of governing, though this sense is less common in everyday French.

Grammar & Word origin

Gouvernement is a masculine noun: un gouvernement. Its plural is des gouvernements.

It is formed from gouverner (“to govern”) and the suffix -ment, which forms nouns. The verb ultimately comes from Latin gubernare, “to steer” or “to govern.”

Synonyms & antonyms

There is no perfect synonym; the alternatives emphasize different aspects:

exécutif (“executive”) refers specifically to the branch or leadership responsible for carrying out laws and directing policy.
cabinet often means the ministers collectively, rather than the whole governing apparatus.
administration can refer to the public agencies that implement policy, or to a particular period in power.
pouvoir (“power” or “authority”) is broader and can refer to political power generally.

There is no direct antonym. opposition means the parties or politicians opposing the government, not its opposite as an institution. anarchie [?](vocabuo://word/anarchie] describes a lack of government or central authority.