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—
4
: the common people especially when constituting the source of political authority
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
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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web But future threats to democracy won’t always be so farcical. —David Marques, The New Republic, 28 Dec. 2022 Republican conferences entirely, spent almost no time campaigning for re-election in Wyoming, lived in the Washington area and maintained a Captain Ahab-like focus on Donald Trump as a singular threat to American democracy. —Luke Broadwater Philip Montgomery, New York Times, 23 Dec. 2022 An ever more unequal society loses its links to democracy. —Peter Stothard, Time, 21 Dec. 2022 Americans remain polarized, the threat to democracy continues, one expert said. —Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 19 Dec. 2022 Prosecutors said the men made threats that not only were emotionally and psychologically damaging to the governor, but also to democracy. —Frank Witsil, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2022 Yet the real threat to democracy isn’t simply about the success of this particular plot. —Thomas Weber, CNN, 16 Dec. 2022 The creation of Mexico’s independent electoral authority in 1990 was hailed as a turning point in its transition to democracy. —Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2022 Arias felt compelled to give a speech to a bunch of tired athletes who just wanted to return to the hotel about how important the U.S. is to democracy in the world, explaining that their opponents that day were actually their allies. —Adam Elder, The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2022 See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'democracy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Time Traveler
The first known use of democracy was in 1539
Dictionary Entries Near democracy
Cite this Entry
“Democracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, //www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/democracy. Accessed 1 Jan. 2023.
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Last Updated: 31 Dec 2022 - Updated example sentences
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