Dictionary.com
definitions

republican

[ri-puhb-li-kuh n]
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR republican ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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.

noun

a person who favors a republican form of government.
(initial capital letter) a member of the Republican Party.

RELATED CONTENT

Radical RepublicansRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
Democrats vs. Republicans: Which Came First?Since Democrats and Republicans appear to have an inexhaustible appetite for enjoying political friction, it seems worth offering some insight on which label came first, in the hopes that each group can use it to browbeat the other. The short answer is that republican came first, but as with so many political issues, that does not necessarily mean what we might think. The earliest recorded …
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

lawmaker, senator, leader, legislator, officeholder, partisan, boss, speaker, orator, president, chieftain, grandstander, democrat, congressperson, handshaker

Nearby words

  1. republic of ireland,
  2. republic of korea,
  3. republic of letters,
  4. republic of south africa,
  5. republic of yemen,
  6. republican party,
  7. republican river,
  8. republicanism,
  9. republicanize,
  10. republication

Origin of republican

First recorded in 1685–95, republican is from the French word républicain, Middle French. See republic, -an
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for republican

British Dictionary definitions for republican

republican

adjective

of, resembling, or relating to a republic
supporting or advocating a republic

noun

a supporter or advocate of a republic

Republican

adjective

of, belonging to, or relating to a Republican Party
of, belonging to, or relating to the Irish Republican Army

noun

a member or supporter of a Republican Party
a member or supporter of the Irish Republican Army
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for republican
adj.

1712, "belonging to a republic, of the nature of a republic, consonant to the principles of a republic," from republic + -an. The French republican calendar was in use from Nov. 26, 1793 to Dec. 31, 1805.

n.

"one who favors a republic or republican principles" (or, as Johnson puts it, "One who thinks a commonwealth without monarchy the best government"), 1690s; see from republican (adj.). With capital R-, in reference to a member of a specific U.S. political party (the Anti-Federalists) from 1782, though this was not the ancestor of the modern U.S. Republican Party, which dates from 1854.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for republican

Republican

A member of the Republican party.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.