representative democracy

American  

[rep-ri-zent-uh-tiv di-mahk-ruh-see] / ˌrɛp rɪˈzɛnt ə tɪv dɪˈmɑk rə si /

noun

representative democracies plural

1. a political system in which the people elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf in a governing body.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unrepresentative democracy
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• representative democracies
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

representative democracy

To the extent that this whole machinery of law and justice and representative democracy was constructed for anyone, it was constructed for you.

From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026

That makes the rich especially valuable in a representative democracy like the U.S., where policy is normally shaped by the play of public opinion, competition among interest groups and the weight of a permanent bureaucracy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026

“The concern for the public and for representative democracy is that you’re going to have a lot of tit for tat moving forward,” Skelley told Salon.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2025

“It does undermine a little bit the theory of representative democracy if you don’t even know who represents you election to election,” Spencer said.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 5, 2023

The French and the American revolutions both saw more or less tyrannical polities overtaken—at least on paper—by forms of representative democracy.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith