democratic

[ dem-uh-krat-ik ]

adjective

1. pertaining to or of the nature of democracy or a democracy.
2. pertaining to or characterized by the principle of political or social equality for all:

   democratic treatment.

3. advocating or upholding democracy.
4. (initial capital letter) Politics.
   1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Democratic Party.
   2. of, relating to, or belonging to the Democratic-Republican Party.

democratic

/ ˌdɛməˈkrætɪk /

adjective

1. of, characterized by, derived from, or relating to the principles of democracy
2. upholding or favouring democracy or the interests of the common people
3. popular with or for the benefit of all

   democratic sports

Derived Forms

• ˌdemoˈcratically, adverb

Other Words From

• demo·crati·cal·ly adverb
• anti·demo·cratic adjective
• anti·demo·crati·cal adjective
• anti·demo·crati·cal·ly adverb
• half-dem·o·cratic adjective
• hyper·demo·cratic adjective
• nondem·o·cratic adjective
• nondem·o·crati·cal adjective
• nondem·o·crati·cal·ly adverb
• predem·o·cratic adjective
• prodem·o·cratic adjective
• pseudo-Demo·cratic adjective
• pseudo·demo·cratic adjective
• pseudo·demo·crati·cal·ly adverb
• quasi-demo·cratic adjective
• quasi-demo·crati·cal·ly adverb
• super·demo·cratic adjective
• super·demo·crati·cal·ly adverb
• undem·o·cratic adjective
• undem·o·crati·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of democratic¹

1595–1605; < French démocratique or Medieval Latin dēmocraticus, both < Greek dēmokratikós, equivalent to dēmokrat ( ía ) ( democracy ) + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

“The best protection is the democratic process and voting. At this point, changes are coming. However, the chaos of the change does not need to be permanent,” Hoover said.

From Salon

And with the affordability that he could guarantee, it was practically middle-class Americans’ democratic duty, to hear him tell it, to exercise their inalienable right to see London, Paris and Rome.

From New York Times

There is one positive aspect to total Republican domination: One-party rule can be a benefit in terms of democratic accountability.

From Salon

"Italy is a great democratic country and... knows how to take care of itself," said Mattarella.

From BBC

They recognized that the club’s direct democratic process — and its annual elections of three members of its 15-person board — was a vulnerability, and they assembled the first stages of a plan: a hostile takeover.

From Salon

Related Words

• autonomous
• constitutional
• egalitarian
• free
• orderly
• popular

More About Democratic

What does democratic mean?

The adjective democratic is used to describe something that operates under or or resembles democracy, a form of government in which the citizens hold the power.

Usually, the word democratic is used to describe political systems, governments, or countries that use such systems. It can also be used to describe voting systems, philosophies, or strategies that rely on a majority vote or that allow everyone to give their opinion.

When capitalized, Democratic is used in the name of the Democratic Party, one of the major political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party.

Example: The United States of America practices a democratic form of government where citizens vote on issues and elect politicians by majority vote.

Where does democratic come from?

Democratic forms of government have been around for centuries, but the first records of the word democratic come from around 1600. It is believed to come from either the French démocratique or the Medieval Latin dēmocraticus. Both of these words come from the Greek dēmokratikós, which is an adjective form of dēmokratía, meaning “democracy.” The -ic ending means “having characteristics of” and is used to make adjectives.

In modern times, the word democratic is most often used to describe a political system that in some way resembles a form of government in which the people hold the political power (at least in theory).

Today, most governments or countries considered democratic have citizens elect representatives who make decisions on their behalf (this is called a representative democracy).

In general usage, democratic is used to describe things that involve a majority vote or require an entire group to debate and decide on a course of action. For example, if your family votes on what to eat for dinner, you are taking a democratic approach to choosing what to eat.

Democratic systems are often contrasted with monarchies and dictatorships, where one person holds all the power and often actively prevents the people they rule from participating in government at all.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to democratic?

• democratically (adverb)
• antidemocratic (adjective)
• antidemocratical (adjective)
• antidemocratically (adverb)
• democracy (noun)

What are some synonyms for democratic?

• democratical

What are some words that share a root or word element with democratic? 

• democrat
• democratize
• autocratic
• plutocratic
• demographic

What are some words that often get used in discussing democratic?

• government
• representative
• people
• citizen
• popular
• politics
• political system
• voting
• majority rule

How is democratic used in real life?

The word democratic is most commonly used in reference to governments and political systems in which the people have the power.

🇵🇭 is a democratic country, at the same time it isn’t

— ʀɪᴠ ; ˢᵉᵐⁱ ⁱᵃ (@readbllk) July 18, 2020

In our elections, I believe the person with the most votes should be declared the winner. Period. Our current system of electing a president is not democratic. Let's abolish the electoral college once and for all.

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) January 8, 2020

Great from @atticalocke @NOIRwichFest #noirwich2020 on her different ✍🏽 careers: “Writing a novel is the most democratic art form. But television 📺 is the most fun! It’s like a dinner party.” And she always makes sure her story “stands up” before going back “to make it pretty”. pic.twitter.com/ef3mJ0WtAl

— helenjerome (@helenjerome) September 11, 2020

 

 

Try using democratic!

Is democratic used correctly in the following sentence?

Medieval kingdoms had democratic systems of government where one person ruled over thousands of subjects.