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demagogy

American  
[dem-uh-goh-jee, -gaw-jee, -goj-ee] / ˈdɛm əˌgoʊ dʒi, -ˌgɔ dʒi, -ˌgɒdʒ i /

noun

  1. Chiefly British. demagoguery.

  2. the character of a demagogue.

  3. a body of demagogues.


demagogy British  
/ ˈdɛməˌɡɒɡɪ /

noun

  1. demagoguery

  2. rule by a demagogue or by demagogues

  3. a group of demagogues

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of demagogy

1645–55; < Greek dēmagōgía leadership of the people, equivalent to dēmagōg ( ós ) demagogue + -ia -y 3

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Recognizing this, Masson wrote in 1941, in “Painting is a Wager”: “Towards 1930, five years after the foundation of surrealism, a formidable disaster appeared in its midst: the demagogy of the irrational.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 27, 2025

Mr Aiwanger's blunt style - to fans straight-talking, to critics dangerous demagogy - works well in beer tents and he makes even Bavaria's boisterous premier Markus Söder look stuffy.

From BBC • Oct. 6, 2023

All of which may sound like grandiloquent cover for demagogy.

From New York Times • Aug. 26, 2021

On the other hand, the movie is conspicuously wary of the powers of law enforcement and infused with a fear of demagogy.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 12, 2019

It voted for General Bonaparte a prolongation of his powers during ten years; Lanjuinais alone protested against the dictatorship, as he had formerly protested against demagogy.

From World's Best Histories — Volume 7: France by Guizot, M. (François)