pure democracy

noun

: democracy in which the power is exercised directly by the people rather than through representatives

Examples of pure democracy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The thinking was, however, that the slow and deliberative process for enacting legislation in the new nation’s representative democracy — rather than pure democracy — would help dilute the impact of such factions. Jan Goldsmith, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2024 Many political scientists don’t consider Turkey a pure democracy, largely because of the tremendous power exercised by the president and his ability to shape the political playing field before the vote. Ben Hubbard, BostonGlobe.com, 15 May 2023 The founders did not design the United States to be a pure democracy. David Leonhardt, New York Times, 17 Sep. 2022 Some suspicion of pure democracy is essential to conservatism. Ross Douthat New York Times, Star Tribune, 16 Mar. 2021 Since pure democracy and genuine authenticity are conditions that can only be reached for, never fully achieved, this was a formula for lifelong commitment. Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2021 The United States of America is not a pure democracy but a constitutional republic. Star Tribune, 3 Nov. 2020 This kind of pure democracy, and ad hoc style of action, much of it happening online via messaging apps, is completely new to Hong Kong politics. Mary Hui, Quartz, 27 Sep. 2019 Sunday’s vote was another milestone in Tunisia’s transition from 22 years of dictatorship into the Arab world’s purest democracy. Ben Hubbard, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pure democracy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pure democracy was in 1656

Dictionary Entries Near pure democracy

Cite this Entry

“Pure democracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pure%20democracy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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