republican
adjective
of, relating to, or of the nature of a republic.
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republican
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Republican
Republicanadjectiveof, belonging to, or relating to a Republican Party
republican
American
[ri-puhb-li-kuhn]
/ rɪˈpʌb lɪ kən /
adjective
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of, relating to, or of the nature of a republic.
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favoring a republic.
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fitting or appropriate for the citizen of a republic.
a very republican notion.
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(initial capital letter) of or relating to the Republican Party.
noun
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republicans
plural
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a person who favors a republican form of government.
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(initial capital letter) a member of the Republican Party.
republican
1
British
/ rɪˈpʌblɪkən /
adjective
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of, resembling, or relating to a republic
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supporting or advocating a republic
noun
Republican
2
British
/ rɪˈpʌblɪkən /
adjective
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of, belonging to, or relating to a Republican Party
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of, belonging to, or relating to the Irish Republican Army
noun
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a member or supporter of a Republican Party
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a member or supporter of the Irish Republican Army
Republican
Cultural
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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antirepublicanadjective
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half-republicanadjective
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nonrepublicanadjective
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prerepublicanadjective
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prorepublicanadjective
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pseudorepublicanadjective
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semirepublicanadjective
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unrepublicanadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of republican
First recorded in 1685–95, republican is from the French word républicain, Middle French. See republic, -an
Explanation
The adjective republican describes a government made up of representatives who are elected by the citizens. If you live in the United States, you’re part of a republican system of government. In a republican government, citizens have a lot of power — their vote determines who is running the government. The word republican has a noun and an adjective form. The noun is for a person who supports that style of government, and the adjective describes something with those characteristics. But if you see republican with a capital letter “r” — Republican — then that refers to a member of the Republican Party.
Vocabulary lists containing republican
Lincoln Inaugural Address (March 1861)
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"What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" Vocabulary from the speech
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Chapter 3, Sections 1–2
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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.
See Examples For:
"I restate the Eiffel Tower's commitment to republican values and to the equality of men and women."
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
Earlier, a police operation targeting dissident republican activity had been carried out nearby.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
And as Wood explains in his great book, “The Radicalism of the American Revolution,” these ideas would spread and unleash the republican spirit of free men and women who built America.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
The veteran Labour MP Tony Benn made his oath after the 1992 general election "as a committed republican".
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
He fulfilled his obligations as a “singular character” so capably that he seemed to defy the republican tradition itself.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Given French’s loathsome history, Abbott and others in the party establishment worked hard to keep him from winning the Republican nomination, Rice noted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
“There is a bit of jujitsu to it,” said Rob Stutzman, a longtime California Republican consultant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
Nathan Johnson also unseated state Sen. Don Huffines, a Dallas Republican that cycle; Johnson is now running for attorney general, and Huffines for comptroller.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
Three of the 13 attorneys general suing to block the Nexstar deal are Republican.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
By the end of the roll call, James Abram Garfield had won enough votes to become the Republican Party's nominee, beating out Grant, Blaine, and Sherman.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
When asked about the potential of dissident republicans being involved in the attack, O'Dowd, who represents Upper Bann, said he did not see support for the groups.
From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2026
That leaves many Irish republicans in an unexpected position.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 13, 2026
Militant Irish republicans had been paying close attention to Carson’s tactics — which anticipated Mao Zedong’s maxim about the source of political power — and would eagerly emulate his example in the years ahead.
From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2024
O’Neill, 47, was elected to the Stormont Assembly in 2007 and comes from a family of Irish republicans.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 3, 2024
Very different, however, is the feeling manifested towards the republicans.
From Paris and the Parisians in 1835 (Vol. 1 of 2) by Frances Milton Trollope
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.
