democratize
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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de-democratizationnoun
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democratizationnoun
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democratizernoun
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redemocratizationnoun
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undemocratizationnoun
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de-democratizeverb
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redemocratizeverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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democratizesimple
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democratizessimple
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have democratizedperfect
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has democratizedperfect
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am democratizingprogressive
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are democratizingprogressive
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is democratizingprogressive
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have been democratizingperfect progressive
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has been democratizingperfect progressive
Past
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democratizedsimple
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had democratizedperfect
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was democratizingprogressive
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were democratizingprogressive
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had been democratizingperfect progressive
Future
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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-cracy, -crat
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Comparative Political Systems
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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.
The cord-cutting revolution was supposed to democratize television, liberating citizens from corporate gatekeepers.
From Salon • Jun. 21, 2026
According to Rappolt, AI can "democratize" football by helping identify talent that lies outside the radar of major development centers.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
Despite her efforts to curtail his behavior at home, the very technology bought by schools to help democratize learning had become the medium through which he fell deeper down his rabbit hole.
From Slate • May 12, 2026
That is why MarketWatch exists, to democratize financial news, and why The Moneyist column exists too.
From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026
Over the next four years the DUC put forward a number of key reforms to modernize the economy and democratize the political system.
From The 2002 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.
