adjective
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Etymology
Origin of electoral
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How does electoral compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
The adjective electoral describes anything having to do with elections. When people talk about "electoral reform," they're referring to changing the way political elections work. When you see the word electoral, you can be sure that the subject is politics and elections. An electoral district, for example, is a specific geographic area that elects a representative or has its votes counted separately, and electoral fraud means rigging votes or interfering with the process of an election. Electoral comes from the noun elector, or "voter in an election." In Latin, it means "chooser or selector," from the root eligere, "select."
Vocabulary lists containing electoral
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.
Armenia's Investigative Committee said it had opened 59 criminal cases over alleged electoral violations -- including people casting multiple ballots -- and detained nine.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
That narrative was always more wishcasting than the underlying electoral reality suggested.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026
Consequently, the clause confers on Congress especially broad authority over state electoral systems and makes judicial second-guessing of legislation designed to ensure equal representation for all particularly improper.
From Slate • Jun. 3, 2026
Yet when the 1896 presidential election pitted the soft-money populist, William Jennings Bryan, against William McKinley, the hard-money Republican, McKinley won the electoral majority, 271 to 176, and the popular vote, 51% to 46.7%, besides.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
The method of choosing electors to that odd inspiration called the electoral college varied from state to state.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
