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

By speaking up and taking action, CEOs can let elected officials know that the business community will not stand by as democratic rights are violated.

From Fortune

Israeli human rights advocates say exports to Hong Kong police should legally have stopped in 2019 when anti-democratic crackdowns grew dramatically.

From MIT Technology Review

It’s certainly popular, and at the very least, “democratic.”

From Fortune

The shutdown lasted until January, making it the longest internet blackout ever seen in the democratic world.

From MIT Technology Review

It’s worth thinking about these categories both in terms of the horse race and in terms of broader questions of democratic norms and values.

From FiveThirtyEight

Obviously, the first obligation of all liberal democratic governments is to enforce the rule of law.

From The Daily Beast

Even the arguably more democratic House is only at 10 percent black members.

From The Daily Beast

By 2012, Democratic President Barack Obama owned the Asian-American vote, winning it by 47 percentage points.

From The Daily Beast

Neither the Republican nor the Democratic party have done anything to consistently target Asian- American voters.

From The Daily Beast

But  Republican and Democratic parties have made efforts to reverse that trend.

From The Daily Beast

It had its counterpart on the political side in the rise of representative democratic government.

From Project Gutenberg

He did this to signalise his disapprobation of royalty, and his preference for democratic equality.

From Project Gutenberg

The first was a democratic step indeed, and aroused great excitement.

From Project Gutenberg

Revolution in Venice, and a democratic government formed under the direction of the French general Angereau.

From Project Gutenberg

And of the world of to-day, be it remembered, elective democratic control covers only a part of the field.

From Project Gutenberg

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.