democratic socialism

noun

: a political movement advocating a gradual and peaceful transition from capitalism to socialism by democratic means

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 Kandor

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

—Laurie Ouellette

Democratic socialism is growing in popularity among millennials …

—Heather Timmons

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

—Maggie Astor

compare social democracy

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

Examples of democratic socialism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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

For instance, since December, hundreds of Starbucks baristas — many of them young and influenced by Bernie Sanders-style democratic socialism — have announced their intention to join Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union. —New York Times, 17 Feb. 2022

Over the last five years, the two-party establishment has been effectively challenged by the insurgent movements of democratic socialism and right-wing nationalism, each represented by dynamic personalities like Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Donald Trump. —Kevin Mahnken, The New Republic, 2 Nov. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above