democratic

Also dem·o·crat·i·cal

[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)

   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

Other Word Forms

• democratically adverb
• antidemocratic adjective
• antidemocratical adjective
• antidemocratically adverb
• half-democratic adjective
• hyperdemocratic adjective
• nondemocratic adjective
• nondemocratical adjective
• nondemocratically adverb
• predemocratic adjective
• prodemocratic adjective
• pseudo-Democratic adjective
• pseudodemocratic adjective
• pseudodemocratically adverb
• quasi-democratic adjective
• quasi-democratically adverb
• superdemocratic adjective
• superdemocratically adverb
• undemocratic adjective
• undemocratically 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

I’ve always felt like that there’s something more democratic about: You actually have to get people to watch your thing somehow.

From Los Angeles Times

"The next democratic consent vote in 2028 will serve as the clearest indicator of whether the Windsor Framework can command the confidence of both communities in Northern Ireland," he added.

From BBC

“We now look forward to working closely with YouTube to bring C-SPAN’s unfiltered coverage of the democratic process to millions more Americans.”

From Los Angeles Times

Following an extensive investigation, police alleged that Bolsonaro and his seven co-defendants had been planning acts to abolish the democratic rule of law and keep him in power as early as 2019.

From BBC

This implies a breakdown in shift from the 19th century authoritarian artistic domination of a music director that still holds just about everywhere to a more democratic and utopian concept.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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

When To Use

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.