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, 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
2
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
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:
Mark Joseph Stern: This idea of republican virtue, lowercase r, civic virtue, the Framers were obsessed with it.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 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
Without equal citizenship, equal voting rights, and equal opportunity to elect representatives of one’s choice, republican government was an impossibility.
From Slate ● Jun. 3, 2026
He doubted whether the republican principles planted by the founding generation would grow in foreign soil.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Rep. Brian Seitz, a Branson Republican who guided the amendment through the House, denied that supporters were trying to trick voters.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
Mace has backed Norman in the Senate race after running against him for the Republican nomination for governor earlier this year.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
Now, Senator Sullivan is getting help from a former Republican mayor of Anchorage, who is urging voters to stay focused and back the right guy.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
Republican Mike Rogers has a chance to win Democratic votes in Michigan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
A contractor by trade, he focused on commercial infrastructure projects, like plumbing and heating; he was a Republican, like most of the legislators, but a moderate one.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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
The details were later obtained by dissident republicans.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2024
The monarchs of Europe, invoked and backed by the jealous Italian States, conspired together against Venice, and were driven off by the amphibious and brave republicans.
From Rule of the Monk or, Rome in the Nineteenth Century by Giuseppe Garibaldi
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.
