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

A public health emergency like this would spark mass protests in most democracies.

From BBC

They are an essential megaphone in the never-ending conversation of our democracy.

From BBC

Sample noted that winning an election “should not mean disrespecting another important part of our democracy — the jury trial.”

From Salon

“It is not a function of democracy. In democracy, we question everything.”

From Los Angeles Times

Donald Trump is moving very quickly with his “shock and awe” plans to rule as an autocrat who views multiracial pluralistic democracy and its system of checks and balance as an impediment to his power.

From Salon

Related Words

• equality
• freedom
• justice

More About Democracy

What is democracy?

Democracy is a system of government where the citizens of a state exercise power to rule the state, either directly or through electing representatives.

What does democracy mean?

Democracy can refer to a system of government or to a particular state that employs this system. The word entered English around the 1570s, from the Middle French démocratie, but it originally comes, via Latin, from the ancient Greek demokratia, which literally means “rule” (kratos) by the “people” (demos). The Greek demokratia dates all the way back to the 5th century b.c., when it was used to describe the government in some city-states, notably Athens.

There are two kinds of democracy: direct and representative. Direct democracy is when the people are directly involved in governing the state. Representative democracy, which characterizes the U.S. system, occurs when people elect representatives to ensure their interests in government. When we think of democracy today, we usually think of a representative one in which all or most people are able to participate. This concept didn’t originate until a very long time after democracy’s ancient roots.

In 507 b.c., Cleisthenes, the leader of Athens, introduced a series of reforms designed to allow the people to have a voice in ruling the city. It included three different political bodies: the governors, the council of representatives, and the courts. Only male citizens over the age of eighteen could vote, excluding those from outside the city, slaves, and all women. This system of government lasted until around the 400 b.c., when it began to waver, with conquests by neighbors gradually weakening it further. Athenian democracy was probably not the first example of democracy in the ancient world, but it is the best-known early version, and it is from here that we draw the word and its governmental philosophy.

Another well-known example of early democracy was the Roman Republic. Like Athens, it wasn’t what we would think of today as a full democracy. Again, only adult male citizens were eligible to participate. Italy continued the tradition in a few of its medieval city-based republics. Venice, and Florence particularly, had governmental systems that included political participation by the people, if in a limited way.

Democracy also found its way into monarchical European states through the concept of the parliament, which was a council that advised the monarch. For the most part, only those who already had power could participate in parliaments, though Sweden allowed peasants to participate in its council (the Riksdag) starting in the 15th century.

The Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries brought a greater questioning of established authority to mainstream philosophy and discourse. This trend had a strong impact on the fledgling United States, which, when it won its independence from Great Britain in 1783, set up a system of representative democracy to represent its people. France was also impacted by this model. The French Revolution in 1789 was an attempt to achieve democracy, though the country didn’t achieve it until the mid-1800s.

It was not until the 20th century that universal or broader suffrage, or the right to vote, was extended in most countries, and it was in the 20th century that democracy spread. By the beginning of the 21st century, almost half of the countries of the world had some variety of democratic or near-democratic system.

Types of democracies are classified according to various distinguishing features, including constitutional democracy, democratic socialism, Jeffersonian democracy, liberal democracy, parliamentary democracy, or presidential democracy, to name a few.

Democracy is also used for non-governmental organizational systems, such as a workplace democracy, which applies democratic principles in professional contexts. An advocate of democracy or democratic values is called a democrat, not to be confused with a member of the U.S. Democratic party.

Examples of democracy

“When it comes to countering terrorism, refusing to allow our democracy and liberty to be undermined is just as important as discussing the immediate security situation.”
—Brendan O’Neill, “This Suspension of Democracy Is a Grave Error,” Spiked, May 24, 2017

“These experts see significant warning signs for American democracy, especially involving political rhetoric and the capacity of political institutions to check the executive. On average they estimate an 11 percent chance of democratic breakdown within four years.”
—Michael K. Miller, “A new expert survey finds warning signs for the state of American democracy,” Washington Post, May 23, 2017

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.