democracy

noun

de·​moc·​ra·​cy di-ˈmä-krə-sē 

plural democracies

1

a

: government by the people

especially : rule of the majority

b

: a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections

2

: a political unit that has a democratic government

3

capitalized : the principles and policies of the Democratic party in the U.S.

from emancipation Republicanism to New Deal Democracy

—C. M. Roberts

4

: the common people especially when constituting the source of political authority

5

: the absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or privileges

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the United States a democracy or a republic?

The United States is both a democracy and a republic. Democracies and republics are both forms of government in which supreme power resides in the citizens. The word republic refers specifically to a government in which those citizens elect representatives who govern according to the law. The word democracy can refer to this same kind of representational government, or it can refer instead to what is also called a direct democracy, in which the citizens themselves participate in the act of governing directly.

What is the basic meaning of democracy?

The word democracy most often refers to a form of government in which people choose leaders by voting.

What is a democratic system of government?

A democratic system of government is a form of government in which supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodic free elections.

Synonyms

• republic
• self-government
• self-rule

Example Sentences

Democracy, I would repeat, is the noblest form of government we have yet evolved … —Norman Mailer, New York Review of Books, 27 Mar. 2002

… this and the economic failures of faithful democracies in places such as India or the Anglophone Caribbean demonstrated conclusively that there was no inherent link between freedom and capitalism … —Orlando Patterson, New Republic, 8 Nov. 1999

Even in democracies today, crucial knowledge is available to only a few individuals … —Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel, 1997

The nation has chosen democracy over monarchy.

In a democracy, every citizen should have the right to vote.

The company is not a democracy; decisions are made by a board of directors, not the workers.

There is democracy within the company.

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Recent Examples on the Web

The Barre Seid bequest should alert all Americans to the extent of the damage Citizens United does to democracy. —Nina Burleigh, The New Republic, 16 May 2023

Independent media in Central America are facing some of their most difficult moments since several of the region’s countries transitioned from dictatorship to democracy two decades ago. —Alejandra Ibarra Chaoul, Washington Post, 15 May 2023

Stoyanov predicted that groups looking to meddle with U.S. democracy will employ AI and synthetic media as a way to erode trust. —David Klepper And Ali Swenson, BostonGlobe.com, 14 May 2023

Post-Musk, Republican and Republican-leaning Twitter users feel much differently about Twitter’s effect on American democracy. —Chandra Steele, PCMAG, 11 May 2023

Taylor Wilson: All right, Sarah Elbeshbishi covers congress, campaigns and democracy for USA TODAY. —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 8 May 2023

The class and others like it in the U.S. and Europe are backed by the Taiwanese government, which hopes to spread its version of Mandarin — along with its values of freedom and democracy — as China’s threats against Taiwan become increasingly bellicose. —Jeong Park, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2023

This program is funded by the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, which supports journalism, film and arts organizations whose work is dedicated to social justice and strengthening democracy. —Talia Buford, ProPublica, 5 May 2023

There’s no shortage of warnings that artificial intelligence will displace workers, risk undermining democracy, and, if left unchecked, potentially overpower its human creators. —Tristan Bove, Fortune, 4 May 2023

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Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French democracie, democratie, borrowed from Late Latin dēmocratia, borrowed from Greek dēmokratía, from dēmo- demo- + -kratia -cracy

First Known Use

1539, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing democracy

• pure democracy
• social democracy

• pure democracy
• social democracy

Kids Definition

democracy

noun

de·​moc·​ra·​cy di-ˈmäk-rə-sē 

plural democracies

1

a

: government by the people

especially : rule of the majority

b

: government in which the supreme power is held by the people and used by them directly or indirectly through representation

2

: a political unit (as a nation) that has a democratic government

3

: belief in or practice of the idea that all people are socially equal

Etymology

from early French democratie "democracy," from Latin democratia (same meaning), from Greek demokratia "democracy," from dēmos "people, the masses" and -kratia "rule, government," from kratos "strength, power, authority" — related to epidemic

Legal Definition

democracy

noun

de·​moc·​ra·​cy di-ˈmä-krə-sē 

plural democracies

1

a

: government by the people

especially : rule of the majority

b

: a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections

2

: a political unit that has a democratic government

democratic

ˌde-mə-ˈkra-tik 

adjective

democratically adverb