democratize
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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de-democratizationnoun
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democratizationnoun
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democratizernoun
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redemocratizationnoun
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undemocratizationnoun
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de-democratizeverb
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redemocratizeverb
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undemocratizeverb (used with object)
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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democratizesimple
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democratizessimple
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have democratizedperfect
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has democratizedperfect
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am democratizingprogressive
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are democratizingprogressive
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is democratizingprogressive
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have been democratizingperfect progressive
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has been democratizingperfect progressive
Past
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democratizedsimple
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had democratizedperfect
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was democratizingprogressive
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were democratizingprogressive
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had been democratizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of democratize
1790–1800; < French démocratiser, equivalent to démocrate democrat + -iser -ize
Explanation
To democratize is to make an organization more democratic, supporting a system in which all citizens have a voice or a vote. When you democratize your school French club, you allow every member to vote on each decision. You'll most often see the verb democratize in the context of world politics, when countries that have historically not been democracies change their governments to be more democratic. In many cases, other countries, such as the U.S., try to influence such governments to make this change: they democratize them, in other words. The word democratize comes from the Greek root demokratia, "popular government," from demos, "common people," and kratos, "rule."
Vocabulary lists containing democratize
We the People: Dem
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-cracy, -crat
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Comparative Political Systems
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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:
Some of these platforms have become key players treating the millions of Americans taking GLP-1s to lose weight, and they have helped democratize access to GLP-1 medications, which provide health benefits far beyond weight loss.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
The cord-cutting revolution was supposed to democratize television, liberating citizens from corporate gatekeepers.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
Tech companies promising to "democratize" football are launching apps that allow young players to upload videos recorded on their phone of them showcasing their ball skills.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
Despite her efforts to curtail his behavior at home, the very technology bought by schools to help democratize learning had become the medium through which he fell deeper down his rabbit hole.
From Slate ● May 12, 2026
Over the next four years the DUC put forward a number of key reforms to modernize the economy and democratize the political system.
From The 2002 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency
It democratizes constitutional enforcement because it poses the simplest and most urgent question: Does the state have actual grounds to take away this person’s liberty?
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
It democratizes royal dignity, extending it to everyone—man and woman, slave and sovereign, each bearing inestimable worth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
“Social media can be negative because there's not necessarily vetting of the quality information, but it can also be really positive because it democratizes who can provide perspectives on different types of contraception,” Swartz said.
From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2024
“It actually democratizes it for everyone,” LaMadrid added.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 27, 2022
“I know that how China democratizes and comes to value human rights, that’s the Chinese people’s responsibility and work.”
From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2022
The Boeing 747 jumbo jet, which democratized air travel in the 1970s, was only possible thanks to powerful jet engines developed in the 1960s for the massive C-5 military transport plane.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Ben Bernanke, Janet Yellen and Powell democratized the role without weakening it, navigating crises through a framework in which the chair spoke and the committee followed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
Even more profoundly, cassettes democratized access to the act of recording itself since cassette technology required minimal infrastructure and cost.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
“It really democratized beauty during that period, because of creators teaching people how to achieve professional-grade makeup looks in their own homes,” Canaves said.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 7, 2026
He had reduced private ownership of land, nationalized certain sectors of the economy, pioneered rapid industrialization, democratized education, and built a modem army.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
AI is democratizing access to capabilities in ways we have not seen before.
From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026
It sees event contracts, which allow clients to place money on Yes/No predictions about coming events, as a democratizing force in the world of finance.
From Barron's ● Dec. 18, 2025
The company’s critics liken the environment to a casino, but its fans credit Robinhood with democratizing the lucrative world of sophisticated investments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 26, 2025
Richardson: What I’ll say about cowboy culture is that she is democratizing the access to cowboys and that cowboy culture.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2025
Barack and I knew we wanted to do a better job of democratizing the White House, making it feel less elitist and more open.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
