adjective
Other Word Forms
- electorally adverb
- pseudoelectoral adjective
Etymology
Origin of electoral
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How does electoral compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
The adjective electoral describes anything having to do with elections. When people talk about "electoral reform," they're referring to changing the way political elections work. When you see the word electoral, you can be sure that the subject is politics and elections. An electoral district, for example, is a specific geographic area that elects a representative or has its votes counted separately, and electoral fraud means rigging votes or interfering with the process of an election. Electoral comes from the noun elector, or "voter in an election." In Latin, it means "chooser or selector," from the root eligere, "select."
Vocabulary lists containing electoral
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.
OTTAWA—Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has secured a majority government, cementing his hold on power after electoral victories Monday night and defections to his Liberal Party caucus over the past six months.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
The electoral authorities have granted a one-day extension to more than 50,000 voters who could not cast their ballots on Sunday.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
With his two-thirds majority in parliament he pushed through one law after another, to change the structure of the courts, the electoral system, and the economy.
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
When the ceasefire was announced, Vance happened to be far away in Hungary, supporting Prime Minister Viktor Orban's electoral campaign.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
There has never been a third-party movement to match it, not in the number of electoral victories it won, nor in the feeling of class unity across racial lines it engendered.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
