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

Like the climate crisis or the crisis of democratic legitimacy, the affordability crisis has become an umbrella term for countless loosely connected phenomena.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Fears of democratic excesses in the states led to the calling of the Philadelphia Convention in 1787 and the creation of a real national government.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Thucydides’ mastery of perspective allows him to populate his landscapes with the dilemmas of democratic politics—the battlefield where psychology meets strategy.

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The head of the Met's counter terrorism unit said Gill's case "goes to the heart of our democratic values".

Read more on BBC

AMI said in a statement that the decision "marks a turning point in the defence of professional journalism, competitive balance in the digital advertising market and fundamental rights in a democratic society".

Read more on Barron's

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.