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Definitions

democracy

[dih-mok-ruh-see] / dɪˈmɒk rə si /

NOUN

government in which people participate

Synonyms

STRONGEST

equality freedom justice

STRONG

commonwealth egalitarianism emancipation equalitarianism republic suffrage

WEAK

liberal government representative government

Antonyms

STRONGEST

unfairness

Frequently Asked Questions

What is another name for democracy?

Generally speaking, democracy is government by the people. More specifically, a democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected representatives under a system of free elections. Many of the world’s democracies are also republics (in which people have the power and wield it through electoral representation). Sometimes, these are referred to as democratic republics. The words democracy and republic are sometimes used interchangeably. The U.S. is typically considered, for all practical purposes, both a democracy (in a more general sense) and a republic (in a more specific, functional sense). Technically speaking, it can be considered a federal presidential constitutional republic or a constitutional federal representative democracy. (You can see why it’s easier to just call it a democracy.) Sometimes, the word democracy is used in a very general way to mean political or social equality, or the state of a society where this equality has been formalized.

What are the different types of democracy?

Democracies are most commonly classified as one of two types: a direct democracy (which involves citizens directly governing) and a representative democracy (which involves citizens electing representatives to govern on their behalf). Sometimes, democracies are classified or categories in other ways. They may be labeled as aggregative, deliberative, or radical, or as participatory, pluralist, or elite. There are many other adjectives that can be applied as well. Of course, democracies vary from place to place, and every democracy may not fit neatly into a particular category or system of classification.

What is the opposite of democracy?

Democracy is complex, and the word doesn’t have an exact opposite in the same way that words like hot and cold are opposites. But there are forms of government that are based on very different ideals or values—including those in which the people (the average citizens) do not hold any power. The U.S. famously founded its representative democratic republic by breaking away from a monarchy, a system in which a monarch like a king or queen claims to wield power not from the consent of the people but based on divine right (lol). Terms for systems of government in which power is held not by the people but by a single person or a small group include authoritarianism, totalitarianism, and despotism. More generally, such situations may be described as tyranny. A specific government in which the power is held not by the people but by a single leader might be called a dictatorship or an autocracy. There are also a lot of critical words that refer to a governmental system that is considered undemocratic in a specific way, such as plutocracy (rule by the wealthy) and oligarchy (rule by a powerful few). Some people contrast democracy with systems like Communism or socialism, both of which also involve economic aspects. Such systems exist in many forms (both theoretically and in practice). They may be extremely different from democratic systems, but they may overlap in some ways. A country could be both socialist and democratic, for example.

What are antonyms (opposites) of democratic?

The word democratic can mean different things depending on whether it’s capitalized or not. Lowercase d democratic is a general term referring to things that involve or are based on democracy. Direct antonyms for this sense of democratic include undemocratic or antidemocratic. In the U.S., Democratic with a capital D is used in the name of the Democratic Party, one of the two major U.S. political parties, along with the Republican Party. These two parties are typically seen as rivals, and some people may consider them opposites (though, just like everything else in politics, there are many people who disagree).

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

democracy democracies

Jon Meacham on FDR, Reagan and how the midterms remind us that the lifeblood of American democracy is at the ballot box.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026

And if we can still believe in this crazy democracy, then others should follow.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026

Joshua Wong, once the face of Hong Kong's democracy movement, has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for colluding with foreign forces under the city's sweeping national security law.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

In a democracy, voters are not obligated to follow the music indefinitely.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026

The triumph of democracy over apartheid is sometimes called the Bloodless Revolution.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

But it’s also a reminder of why representative democracies have to be representative.

From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026

"Impunity can be defeated and democracies can place limits on arbitrary power."

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

If the economic and military bonds among the world’s democracies weaken, there could be negative consequences for America.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

That democracies have the freedom to choose with whom to work," von der Leyen said. "

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

Even in democracies today, crucial knowledge is available to only a few individuals, who control the flow of information to the rest of the government and consequently control decisions.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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"The Hill We Climb," by Amanda Gorman

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"The Hill We Climb," by Amanda Gorman

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