democracy

[ dih-mok-ruh-see ]

noun

, plural de·moc·ra·cies.

1. government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.
2. a state having such a form of government:

   The United States and Canada are democracies.

3. a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges.
4. political or social equality; democratic spirit.
5. the common people of a community as distinguished from any privileged class; the common people with respect to their political power.

democracy

/ dɪˈmɒkrəsɪ /

noun

1. government by the people or their elected representatives
2. a political or social unit governed ultimately by all its members
3. the practice or spirit of social equality
4. a social condition of classlessness and equality
5. the common people, esp as a political force

democracy

1. A system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule either directly or through freely elected representatives.

Notes

Democratic institutions, such as parliaments , may exist in a monarchy . Such constitutional monarchies as Britain , Canada , and Sweden are generally counted as democracies in practice.

Other Words From

• anti·de·mocra·cy noun plural antidemocracies adjective
• nonde·mocra·cy noun plural nondemocracies
• prede·mocra·cy noun plural predemocracies
• prode·mocra·cy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of democracy¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French démocratie, from Late Latin dēmocratia, from Greek dēmokratía “popular government,” equivalent to dēmo- demo- + -kratia -cracy

Word History and Origins

Origin of democracy¹

C16: from French démocratie, from Late Latin dēmocratia, from Greek dēmokratia government by the people; see demo- , -cracy

Example Sentences

The next month, as the Center for Media and Democracy reports, when committee co-chair Liz Cheney announced that Trump had attempted to contact an unnamed witness who was set to testify, Budowich shot back by tweet: “The media has become pawns of the Unselect Committee. Liz Cheney continues to traffic in innuendos and lies that go unchallenged, unconfirmed, but repeated as fact because the narrative is more important than the truth.”

From Salon

Such chaos is bad for democracy, but it does inspire wickedly funny memes, hashtags, sketches and political satire.

From Los Angeles Times

In the most basic sense, the 2024 election can be understood as a referendum on the direction of America and the future of pluralistic multiracial democracy.

From Salon

Trump’s victory in this historic election where the future of the country’s democracy is at stake and greatly imperiled also represents a failure of large parts of the American public to understand their basic duties as citizens.

From Salon

My forthcoming book, "Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy," is a dissection of that movement.

From Salon

Related Words

• equality
• freedom
• justice