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

Lest we forget our past, America is the great democratic experiment precisely because it’s a land of immigrants.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

She hopes through the help of him, the US, other nations in Latin America and "democratic nations of the world", Venezuela will "achieve freedom and democracy."

Read more on BBC

Legal experts across the political spectrum describe this as an unprecedented political prosecution that breaks fundamental democratic norms and mirrors tactics used by authoritarian leaders worldwide.

Read more on Salon

Ms. Legacki confesses that corporate America favors making deals with a brazen authoritarian over democratic accountability.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Many Palestinians see him as their Nelson Mandela, who served 27 years in prison for planning attacks on the apartheid regime in South Africa before he was released to win a democratic election.

Read more on BBC

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.