democratic socialism

noun

: a political movement calling for the establishment of a decentralized socialist economic system within a democratically run political system

According to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the goal of having democratic socialism is to achieve a more equal and just society; that the economy and society be run "democratically."

—Timothy Kandow

Might it be better to chuck conservatism and liberalism altogether in favor of something like democratic socialism?

—Laurie Ouellette

… democratic socialism remains poorly understood and is frequently conflated, incorrectly, with communism—or, on the flip side, with European-style social democracy.

—Maggie Astor

democratic socialist adjective

Although state ownership is certainly an important mechanism in the democratic socialist tool kit, it's definitely not the only one.

—Samuel Arnold

democratic socialist noun

plural democratic socialists

a meeting of democratic socialists

Socialism vs. Social Democracy vs. Democratic Socialism: Usage Guide

Since the term socialism entered English around 1830, it has consistently referred to a system of social organization in which the ownership of property and the distribution of income are subject to social rather than private control. The conception of that control, however, has varied, and socialism has been interpreted in widely diverging ways, ranging from statist to libertarian, from Marxist to liberal. In the modern era, "pure" socialism has been seen only rarely and usually briefly in a few Communist regimes. Far more common are social democracies, such as Sweden and Denmark: democratically elected governments that employ some socialist practices but within a capitalist framework in the belief that extensive state regulation paired with limited state ownership produces a fair distribution of income without impairing economic growth. While in the past social democracy and democratic socialism both referred to movements seeking a fully socialist system, the two terms have diverged. Today's social democracies retain a capitalist system overall, while democratic socialism rejects capitalism fully, and seeks to establish a decentralized socialist economic system within a democratically run government.

Examples of democratic socialism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Spector’s journey to democratic socialism is a familiar one for many in the Gen X/millennial set. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2025

With Marxism tainted by its aggressive materialism, and mere democratic socialism so mere, anarchism could be imagined as a series of defiant spiritual acts. —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025

Paige sees one possible future synthesis: an indigenous democratic socialism in which ethnicity and culture play as central a role as social class. —Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2020

With conditions worsening, Allende, who had been elected with less than 40 percent of the vote, lacked the political majority and the technical capacity to oversee a transformation to democratic socialism. —Patrick Iber, The New Republic, 15 May 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for democratic socialism

• antiquarianism
• congregationalism
• constitutionalism
• cosmopolitanism
• electromagnetism
• environmentalism
• epicureanism
• evangelicalism
• experimentalism
• hyperparathyroidism
• hypoparathyroidism
• individualism