direct democracy

American

[di-rekt di-mah-kruh-see, dahy-rekt] / dɪˈrɛkt dɪˈmɑ krə si, daɪˈrɛkt /

noun

government with direct rule by the people, without the involvement of elected representatives.

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.

Madison especially thought pure direct democracy would prove unstable, a too-slight skiff heaved about in history’s seas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025

The battle between direct democracy and representative government isn’t new, and it hasn’t always been the domain of just Republicans.

From Salon • May 30, 2025

More to the point, not every state has direct democracy of the kind that has propelled ballot measures to date.

From Slate • Nov. 8, 2024

This time they said enough was enough, using the power that Switzerland's system of direct democracy gives them to vote themselves an extra month's pension each year.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2024

He had to pay the same recognition to direct democracy.

From Lectures on the French Revolution by Figgis, John Neville

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023