demagogue
American Heritage Dictionary:
Top
dem·a·gogue
also dem·a·gog (dĕm'ə-gôg', -gŏg') 
n.
Usage Problem. To speak about (an issue, for example) in the manner of a demagogue.
n.
- A leader who obtains power by means of impassioned appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the populace.
- A leader of the common people in ancient times.
Usage Problem. To speak about (an issue, for example) in the manner of a demagogue.
[Greek dēmagōgos, popular leader : dēmos, people + agōgos, leading (from agein, to lead).]
USAGE NOTE Among the nouns that the Usage Panel is loath to see used as a verb is demagogue, meaning "to speak about something in the manner of a demagogue." Ninety-four percent reject it in the sentence The President will demagogue Medicare, unwilling to acknowledge that fundamental reforms need to be made. Resistance to the use of traditional nouns as verbs is sometimes strong, especially when the novel usages are associated with business or bureaucratic jargon.
Oxford Dictionary of Politics:
Top
demagogue
Like democracy, the idea of a demagogue has its roots in the ambiguous Greek word demos meaning ‘the people’, but in the sense of either ‘the population’ or ‘the mob’. Thus a demagogue was, even in classical times, the leader of the mob, but also the leader of a popular state in which sovereignty was vested in the whole adult male citizenry. In this defunct, neutral, sense all modern Western leaders are, to some degree, demagogues. But the modern significance of the idea of a demagogue lies in its pejorative sense, as the leader of a mob, with the implication that those who rouse the rabble always do so for ignoble purposes.
— Lincoln Allison
Top
Word Tutor:
Top
demagogue
IN BRIEF: A leader who attempts to gain a following by appealing to the emotions and prejudices of people in order to advance his or her political purposes.
They considered the candidate to be a demagogue, not a statesman.
LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!
Random House Word Menu:
Top
categories related to 'demagogue'
- Politicians and Activists - demagogue: one who appeals to and manipulates mass prejudice
- Morality or Character
See crossword solutions for the clue Translations:
Top
Demagogue
Dansk (Danish)
n. - demagog, folkeforfører
Nederlands (Dutch)
demagoog (volksmenner)
Français (French)
n. - démagogue
Deutsch (German)
n. - Demagoge, Volksverführer
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - δημαγωγός, λαοπλάνος
Português (Portuguese)
n. - demagogo (m)
Español (Spanish)
n. - demagogo
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - demagog, folkledare
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
煽动者, 群众煽动者
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 煽動者, 群眾煽動者
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) قائد سياسي يستغل الظلم العام والوعود الكاذبه لإثارة عاطفه الناس, والفوز بدعمهم
If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Read more
Oxford Dictionary of Politics
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics. Copyright © 1996, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
Read more
Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: Politics
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved. Read more
Word Tutor
Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved.
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; sign up free. Read more
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; sign up free. Read more
Random House Word Menu
© 2010 Write Brothers Inc. Word Menu is a registered trademark of the Estate of Stephen Glazier.
Write Brothers Inc.
All rights reserved.
Read more
Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary
Collins Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary © Anne Bradford, 1986, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008
HarperCollins Publishers
All rights reserved.
Read more
