democratic

democratic — adjective

1. relating to a way of governing in which citizens choose their leaders through re

1.形容詞B1
釋義

relating to a way of governing in which citizens choose their leaders through regular elections and share equal political rights

例句

The country held its first democratic elections in 1992, allowing citizens to choose their own leaders.

democratic elections — common political collocation

Owen argued that a democratic government must protect the right to speak freely.

同義詞
  • representative

    narrower — refers specifically to a system where elected officials act on behalf of citizens

  • parliamentary

    narrower — describes systems with a parliament, a specific form of democratic government

  • republican

    narrower — refers to a state without a monarch, often but not always democratic

反義詞
  • dictatorial

    opposite — rule by a single leader with absolute power

  • autocratic

    opposite — rule by one person with unlimited authority

  • totalitarian

    stronger opposite — a regime that controls nearly all aspects of public and private life

文法句型

democratic + noun

用法筆記

Often appears before nouns such as 'government', 'election', 'society', 'rights', and 'institution'. When capitalised (Democratic), it forms part of the official name of a political party, e.g. the Democratic Party in the United States — a separate, proper-noun sense.

常見錯誤

❌Democratic means a country where the leader is always liked by everyone.
✅Democratic refers to a political system where people choose leaders through voting, not necessarily that everyone agrees with the leader.
💡confusing democratic with popular.
❌The US is a democratic republic, while the UK is democratic too.
✅The US is a democratic republic, while the UK is a constitutional monarchy with democratic institutions.
💡failing to distinguish democratic as a descriptor of systems from democratic as a type of state.

2. allowing every member of a group, company, or institution to take part in decisi

2.形容詞B2
釋義

allowing every member of a group, company, or institution to take part in decisions on an equal basis without any one person having more power

例句

The school introduced a democratic system where students vote on class rules.

democratic system — describing internal decision-making

Antonia runs her team using a democratic method and asks everyone for their opinion.

同義詞
  • participatory

    emphasises active involvement in decision-making rather than just the principle of equality

  • egalitarian

    broader — describes a belief in equal rights for all people, not just in decision-making

  • inclusive

    overlapping — emphasises that no one is left out of the process

反義詞
  • autocratic

    opposite — decisions are made by one person without consulting others

  • hierarchical

    contrasting — a structure where power flows from top to bottom

  • authoritarian

    opposite — requiring strict obedience without input from members

文法句型

democratic + noun

用法筆記

Common with nouns describing groups or structures: 'workplace', 'school', 'club', 'family', 'committee'. Unlike sense 1 (ELECTED GOVERNMENT), this sense does not refer to a country's political system — shift is from state-level to group-level decision-making.

常見錯誤

❌My boss is very democratic.
✅My boss runs the department in a democratic way.
💡democratic describes the system or process, not a person's personality.
❌We had a democratic vote to choose where to eat lunch.
✅We voted to choose where to eat lunch.
💡using democratic for trivial votes sounds exaggerated; reserve for important decisions about rules or policies.