democratize
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- de-democratization noun
- de-democratize verb
- democratization noun
- democratizer noun
- redemocratization noun
- redemocratize verb
- undemocratization noun
- undemocratize verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of democratize
1790–1800; < French démocratiser, equivalent to démocrate democrat + -iser -ize
Explanation
To democratize is to make an organization more democratic, supporting a system in which all citizens have a voice or a vote. When you democratize your school French club, you allow every member to vote on each decision. You'll most often see the verb democratize in the context of world politics, when countries that have historically not been democracies change their governments to be more democratic. In many cases, other countries, such as the U.S., try to influence such governments to make this change: they democratize them, in other words. The word democratize comes from the Greek root demokratia, "popular government," from demos, "common people," and kratos, "rule."
Vocabulary lists containing democratize
We the People: Dem
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Comparative Political Systems
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-cracy, -crat
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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.
He pitched it as a way to democratize access to a successful hedge-fund strategy for ordinary investors.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026
"By making this resource open, we hope to empower researchers worldwide to build and test new AI models, democratize access to high-quality medical data, and ultimately contribute to better patient care," Deltadahl said.
From Science Daily • Jan. 13, 2026
"Training cutting-edge models now requires infrastructure investments that only a handful of organizations can afford," AWS said, positioning Trainium3 as a way to democratize access to high-powered AI computing.
From Barron's • Dec. 2, 2025
Then, Yieldstreet is part of a growing trend of startups that want to democratize private investing but it’s not proving to be a great bet.
From Slate • Aug. 23, 2025
Over the next four years, the DUC put forward a number of key reforms to modernize the economy and to democratize the political system.
From The 2003 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency
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.
