social democracy

American  

noun

1. a political ideology advocating a gradual transition to socialism or a modified form of socialism by and under democratic political processes.

2. a system of government achieved in this way.

   Sweden’s social democracy.

3. Social Democracy, the principles and policies of any of certain Social Democratic parties, especially in Europe.

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social democracy British  

noun

1. (sometimes capital) the beliefs, principles, practices, or programme of a Social Democratic Party or of social democrats

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• social democratic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of social democracy

First recorded in 1885–90

Compare meaning

How does social-democracy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• social democracy vs. democratic socialism

Example Sentences

Access to a truly meaningful social safety net is part of social democracy too.

From Salon • Oct. 24, 2022

To some extent, social democracy foundered on an outbreak of bad luck.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2022

This would grab attention in any country, but especially in Sweden, a country that is known for egalitarian social democracy.

From New York Times • Sep. 14, 2022

The catastrophe of war, Piketty argued in his 2013 work, gave social democracy its chance to triumph in the West.

From Washington Post • Jun. 17, 2022

All minds were for a time engrossed by the Kulturkampf, by the financial difficulties—the so-called Gr�ndertum—due to unscrupulous speculation, and, finally, by the rapid rise of social democracy as a political force.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 7 "Geoponici" to "Germany" by Various