representative democracy

noun

plural representative democracies

: democracy in which the power is exercised by the people through their elected representatives : a form of government in which the people elect representatives to make decisions, policies, laws, etc.

One challenge to representative democracy is that voters must select from a small number of candidates to indicate their wants across many policy areas. Each candidate campaigns on a portfolio of different policies but none of these portfolios necessarily matches what the voter would prefer.

—Seth J. Hill

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

Examples of representative democracy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Perspectives Ideas expressed in the piece The column argues that free and fair elections are the foundation of representative democracy and that preserving broad access to the ballot is essential to honoring the will of the people. — Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026

The episode highlights the dangers of placing party loyalty above principle and calls for an electoral system that gives voters greater choice, rewards compromise and strengthens representative democracy. — Kevin Richardson, Baltimore Sun, 25 Aug. 2026

While not always cordial, such interactions have been a hallmark of American representative democracy since the colonial period. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2026

Electing the right people to these public positions could ease that stress and make life more tolerable — at least that’s how representative democracy is supposed to work. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for representative democracy

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