representative democracy

American  

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

noun

plural

representative democracies

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

• unrepresentative democracy noun

Example Sentences

The Nobel Peace Prize, he said, “serves as an example for all those nations in Latin America that still lack a lasting and representative democracy.”

From The Wall Street Journal

“NJEA is a member-led union that operates as a representative democracy,” said union spokesman Steve Baker in a statement.

From The Wall Street Journal

“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

“In a representative democracy, we resolve our differences by debating and voting, not by running away,” he wrote.

From Salon

But no one ever said this representative democracy thing was going to be easy, or endlessly uplifting.

From Los Angeles Times