The political orientation of those who favor government by the people or by their elected representatives.

Roget 737b: politics; political science; candidacy, campaign, campaigning, electioneering; partisanship, ideology, factionalism.    election, poll, ballot, vote, referendum, recall, initiative, voice, suffrage, plumper, cumulative vote, plebiscitum [Lat.], plebiscite, vox populi; electioneering; voting etc. v.; elective franchise; straight ticket [U.S.]; opinion poll, popularity poll.    issue; opinion, stand, position; program, platform; party line.    [ideologies] democracy, republicanism; communism, statism, state socialism; socialism; conservatism, toryism; liberalism, whigism; theocracy; constitutional monarchy.    [political parties] party etc. 712; [U.S: Political parties list], Democratic Party, Republican Party, Socialist Party; Communist Party; [U.S. defunct parties: list], Federalist Party, Bull Moose Party, Abolitionist Party; [Germany: list], Christian Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party; National Socialist Worker's Party; [Germany, 1930-1945], Nazi Party; [Great Britain:list], Liberal Party, Labor Party, Conservative Party.    ticket, slate.    [person active in politics] politician activist; [specific politicians: list], candidate, aspirant, hopeful, office-seeker, front-runner, dark horse, long shot, shoo-in; supporter, backer, political worker, campaign worker; lobbyist, contributor; party hack, ward heeler; regional candidate, favorite son; running mate, stalking horse; perpetual candidate, political animal.    political contribution, campaign contribution; political action committee, PAC.    political district, electoral division, electoral district, bailiwick.    electorate, constituents.    get-out-the-vote campaign, political education.    negative campaigning, dirty politics, smear campaign.    [unsuccessful candidate] also-ran, loser; has-been.    [successful candidate] office holder, official, occupant of a position; public servant, incumbent; winner.    ... show more

Roget 876: commonalty, democracy; obscurity; low condition, low life, low society, low company; bourgeoisie; mass of the people, mass of society; Brown Jones and Robinson; lower classes, humbler classes, humbler orders; vulgar herd, common herd; rank and file, hoc genus omne [Lat.]; the many, the general, the crowd, the people, the populace, the multitude, the million, the masses, the mobility, the peasantry; king Mob; proletariat; fruges consumere nati [Lat.], demos, hoi polloi [Gr.], great unwashed; man in the street.    mob; rabble, rabble rout; chaff, rout, horde, canaille; scum of the people, residuum of the people, dregs of the people, dregs of society; swinish multitude, foex populi^†; trash; profanum vulgus [Lat.], ignobile vulgus [Lat.]; vermin, riffraff, ragtag and bobtail; small fry.    commoner, one of the people, democrat, plebeian, republican, proletary^†, proletaire^†, roturier^†, Mr.    Snooks, bourgeois, epicier [Fr.], Philistine, cockney; grisette^†, demimonde.    peasant, countryman, boor, carle^†, churl; villain, villein; terrae filius [Lat.], son of the land; serf, kern^†, tyke, tike, chuff^†, ryot^†, fellah; longshoreman; swain, clown, hind; clod, clodhopper; hobnail, yokel, bog-trotter, bumpkin; plowman, plowboy^†; rustic, hayseed [Slang], lunkhead [U.S.], chaw-bacon [Slang], tiller of the soil; hewers of wood and drawers of water, groundling^†; gaffer, loon, put, cub, Tony Lumpkin^†, looby^†, rube [U.S.], lout, underling; gamin; rough; pot-wallopper^†, slubberdegullion^†; vulgar fellow, low fellow; cad, curmudgeon.    upstart, parvenu, skipjack^†; nobody, nobody one knows; hesterni quirites [Lat.], pessoribus orti [Lat.]; bourgeois gentilhomme [Fr.], novus homo [Lat.], snob, gent, mushroom, no one knows who, adventurer; man of straw.    beggar, gaberlunzie^†, muckworm^†, mudlark^†, sans culotte, raff^†, tatterdemalion, caitiff, ragamuffin, Pariah, outcast of society, tramp, vagabond, bezonian^†, panhandler [Slang], sundowner^†, chiffonnier, Cinderella, cinderwench^†, scrub, jade; gossoon^†.    Goth, Vandal, Hottentot, Zulu, savage, barbarian, Yahoo; unlicked cub^†, rough diamond^†.    barbarousness, barbarism; boeotia.    ... show more

Dutch: democratie
Polish: demokracja, ludowładztwo, władza ludu

A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them.

synonyms: commonwealth, republic.

Roget 737a: government, legal authority, soveriegn, sovereign authority; authority etc. 737; master etc. 745; direction etc. 693.    [nations] national government, nation, state, country, nation-state, dominion, republic, empire, union, democratic republic; kingdom, principality.    [subdivisions of nations] state government [Lat.], state; shire [Brit.]; province [Can.]; county [Ire.]; canton [Switz.]; territory [Austral.]; duchy, archduchy, archdukedom^†; woiwodshaft; commonwealth; region etc. 181; property etc. 780.    [smaller subdivisions] county, parish city, domain, tract, arrondissement [Fr.], mofussil^†, commune; wappentake, hundred, riding, lathe, garth^†, soke^†, tithing; ward, precinct, bailiwick.    command, empire, sway, rule; dominion, domination; sovereignty, supremacy, suzerainty; lordship, headship^†; chiefdom^†; seigniory, seigniority^†.    rule, sway, command, control, administer; govern etc. (direct) 693; lead, preside over, reign, possess the throne, be seated on the throne, occupy the throne; sway the scepter, wield the scepter; wear the crown.    state, realm, body politic, posse comitatus [Lat.].    [person in the governing authority] judicature etc. 965; cabinet etc. (council) 696; seat of government, seat of authority; headquarters.    [Acquisition of authority] accession; installation etc. 755; politics etc. 737.1. reign, regime, dynasty; directorship, dictatorship; protectorate, protectorship; caliphate, pashalic^†, electorate; presidency, presidentship^†; administration; proconsul, consulship; prefecture; seneschalship; magistrature^†, magistracy.    monarchy; kinghood^†, kingship; royalty, regality; aristarchy^†, aristocracy; oligarchy, democracy, theocracy, demagogy; commonwealth; dominion; heteronomy; republic, republicanism; socialism; collectivism; mob law, mobocracy^†, ochlocracy^†; vox populi, imperium in imperio [Lat.]; bureaucracy; beadledom^†, bumbledom^†; stratocracy; military power, military government, junta; feodality^†, feudal system, feudalism.    thearchy^†, theocracy, dinarchy^†; duarchy^†, triarchy, heterarchy^†; duumvirate; triumvirate; autocracy, autonomy; limited monarchy; constitutional government, constitutional monarchy; home rule; representative government; monocracy^†, pantisocracy^†.    gynarchy^†, gynocracy^†, gynaeocracy^†; petticoat government.    [government functions] legislature, judiciary, administration.    [Government agencies and institutions] office of the president, office of the prime minister, cabinet; senate, house of representatives, parliament; council etc. 696; courts, supreme court; [U.S. national government departments], state, interior, labor, health and human services, defense, education, agriculture, justice, commerce, treasury; Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI; Central Intelligence Agency, CIA; National Institutes of Health, NIH; Postal Service, Post Office; Federal Aviation Administration, FAA.    [national government officials] president, vice president, cabinet member, prime minister, minister; senator, representatative, president pro tem [Lat.], speaker of the house; department head, section head, section chief; federal judge, justice, justice of the supreme court, chief justice; treasurer, secretary of the treasury; director of the FBI.    [state government officials] governor, state cabinet member; state senator, assemblyman, assemblywoman.    ... show more

Dutch: democratie
Polish: państwo demokratyczne

The doctrine that the numerical majority of an organized group can make decisions binding on the whole group.

synonym: majority rule.

Dutch: meerderheidsbeginsel