of, relating to, or of the nature of a republic.
favoring a republic.
fitting or appropriate for the citizen of a republic.
a very republican notion.
(initial capital letter) of or relating to the Republican Party.
a person who favors a republican form of government.
(initial capital letter) a member of the Republican Party.
of, resembling, or relating to a republic
supporting or advocating a republic
of, belonging to, or relating to a Republican Party
of, belonging to, or relating to the Irish Republican Army
a member or supporter of a Republican Party
a member or supporter of the Irish Republican Army
First recorded in 1685–95, republican is from the French word républicain, Middle French. See republic, -an
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The veteran Labour MP Tony Benn made his oath after the 1992 general election "as a committed republican".
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026
Black Americans who fought to make the United States into a multiracial democracy insisted that states that denied Black Americans full voting rights were not republican governments.
From Slate • Jun. 3, 2026
Boutcher said his officers suspect the bombing was carried out by the dissident republican group known as the New IRA.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
John Adams called the Bible “the most republican book in the world.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
If hindsight enhances our appreciation for the solidity and stability of the republican legacy, it also blinds us to the truly stunning improbability of the achievement itself.
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.
