demagogy

[ dem-uh-goh-jee, -gaw-jee, -goj-ee ]

/ ˈdɛm əˌgoʊ dʒi, -ˌgɔ dʒi, -ˌgɒdʒ i /

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noun

Chiefly British. demagoguery.

the character of a demagogue.

a body of demagogues.

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Origin of demagogy

1645–55; <Greek dēmagōgía leadership of the people, equivalent to dēmagōg(ós) demagogue + -ia-y³

Words nearby demagogy

demagnetize, demagogic, demagogue, demagoguery, demagoguism, demagogy, de Man, demand, demandant, demand bid, demand bill

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use demagogy in a sentence

Clear away all the demagogy and scare tactics, and Obamacare is, at its core, Romneycare across state lines.
A Conservative Defense of Obamacare... from an AEI Scholar|Justin Green|September 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
"The country became very susceptibly to demagogy," Brzezinski said.
An Evening of Bush Bashing with Scowcroft and Brzezinski|Ross Goldberg|October 20, 2008|DAILY BEAST
The next six years found unhappy Spain delivered up to every excess of demagogy and disorder.
The War Upon Religion|Rev. Francis A. Cunningham
But it was not enough to abolish liberty by conjuring up the spectre of demagogy.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 7|Various

Besides, atheism fits in very well, whatever Robespierre may have thought, with the general sentiments of the baser demagogy.
The Cult of Incompetence|Emile Faguet
The minority who have no turn for demagogy are demagogues though they do not like it, and because they are forced by necessity.
The Cult of Incompetence|Emile Faguet
Sir Edward Carson's speeches in Ulster, indeed, are the most extreme instances of demagogy we have had in recent years.
The Book of This and That|Robert Lynd

British Dictionary definitions for demagogy

demagogy

/ (ˈdɛməˌɡɒɡɪ) /

noun plural -gogies

demagoguery

rule by a demagogue or by demagogues

a group of demagogues

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