demagogue
verb
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When the ancient Greeks used dēmagōgós (from dêmos, meaning “people,” and -agōgos, “leading”) they meant someone good—a leader who used outstanding oratorical skills to further the interests of the common people. The first known use of demagogue in English comes from the introduction to Thomas Hobbes’s 1629 translation of a text by the ancient Greek historian Thucydides: “It need not be doubted, but from such a master Thucydides was sufficiently qualified, to have become a great demagogue, and of great authority with the people.” Alas, the word quickly took a negative turn; within decades it was being used to refer to someone who uses powers of persuasion to sway and mislead.
Examples of demagogue in a Sentence
Tom Morganthau et al., Newsweek, 11 Dec. 1995
Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 9 Nov. 2025
Ludwig von Mises made clear in his classic book Socialism that wealth begets myriad individuals to demagogue it.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
At the same time, the whole conversation about the border has been weaponized by Trump and his acolytes to demagogue the idea of immigration in the first place.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
Where there’s wealth there will be politicians trying to get the wealth, or demagogue the wealth in order to get it, which means businesses must have a Washington strategy.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for demagogue
Cite this Entry
“Demagogue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demagogue. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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