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Synonyms

demagogue

American  
[dem-uh-gog, -gawg] / ˈdɛm əˌgɒg, -ˌgɔg /
Or demagog

noun

  1. a person, especially an orator or political leader, who gains power and popularity by arousing the emotions, passions, and prejudices of the people.

  2. (in ancient times) a leader of the people.

verb (used with object)

demagogued, demagoguing

  1. to treat or manipulate (a political issue) in the manner of a demagogue; obscure or distort with emotionalism, prejudice, etc.

verb (used without object)

demagogued, demagoguing

  1. to speak or act like a demagogue.

demagogue British  
/ ˈdɛməˌɡɒɡ /

noun

  1. a political agitator who appeals with crude oratory to the prejudice and passions of the mob

  2. (esp in the ancient world) any popular political leader or orator

"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
demagogue Cultural  

  1. A politician who seeks to win and hold office by appeals to mass prejudice. Demagogues often use lies and distortion. (See Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.)

Etymology

Origin of demagogue

1640–50; < Greek dēmagōgós a leader of the people, popular leader, equivalent to dêm ( os ) people + agōgós leading, guiding; -agogue

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.

The story relates Laxman’s making as a demagogue, dwelling on the years in which he used his extended family as a kind of training ground for his megalomania.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

But he also turned on his vice-president, reposting a comment on X in which she was labelled a "traitor, a demagogue and stupid in economic terms".

From BBC • Jul. 14, 2025

Watson was an effective demagogue because he practiced a politics of anger in an era that demanded it.

From Slate • Oct. 16, 2024

It is a love of a de facto cult leader and demagogue for his followers who give him narcissistic fuel, their money, adoration, loyalty, time, energy, and perhaps even lives and freedom.

From Salon • Aug. 16, 2024

The Jacobin municipality was overturned, and Challier, their fiercest demagogue, was arrested.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 2 "French Literature" to "Frost, William" by Various

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.