direct democracy

noun

plural direct democracies

: democracy in which the power is exercised directly by the people rather than through representatives : a form of government in which the people vote directly against or in favor of decisions, policies, laws, etc.

First, the United States is not a direct democracy and, as such, citizens do not make decisions themselves, [Professor Harry] Wilson writes. Instead, the power to make laws lies in the hands of their elected representatives in Congress.

—Matt Williams

also : a country, state, or territory whose form of government is direct democracy compare representative democracy

Examples of direct democracy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Missouri has been at the center of a national battle over direct democracy. — ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026

The decision could pave the way for voters to bolster the state’s form of direct democracy in a year where voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have substantially weakened the same process. — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026

However, the ballot proposition process would increasingly serve the very forces that direct democracy was conceived as a bulwark against — those with the means to push their pet causes. — Mark Brilliant, Mercury News, 9 July 2026

But even by the standards of the state’s direct democracy process, the 2026 election stands out. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1629, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for direct democracy

• aristocracy
• meritocracy
• autocracy
• bureaucracy
• hypocrisy
• plutocracy
• theocracy