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When the ancient Greeks used dēmagōgós (from dêmos, meaning “people,” and -agōgos, “leading”) they meant someone good—a leader who used outstanding oratorical skills to further the interests of the common people. The first known use of demagogue in English comes from the introduction to Thomas Hobbes’s 1629 translation of a text by the ancient Greek historian Thucydides: “It need not be doubted, but from such a master Thucydides was sufficiently qualified, to have become a great demagogue, and of great authority with the people.” Alas, the word quickly took a negative turn; within decades it was being used to refer to someone who uses powers of persuasion to sway and mislead.
Synonyms
Examples of demagogue in a Sentence
Gordon S. Wood, Revolutionary Characters, 2006
Before the U.S. could begin to help Haiti rebuild its ravaged democracy last week, it first had to remove a raving demagogue.
—Tim Padgett et al., Time, 15 Mar. 2004
Here's the background: Tennessee's finances are a mess. The state is facing a shortfall of some $310 million—but legislators remember what happened last year when they considered imposing the first income tax on wages. Goaded by talk-radio demagogues, hundreds of citizens surrounded the Statehouse in a near riot.
—Editor & Publisher, 4 Feb. 2002
His opponent called him a bigoted demagogue.
that politician is just a demagogue who preys upon people's fears and prejudices
Verb
But Clinton's boldness seemed to work, at least within the Beltway. House Republicans mostly stifled the urge to demagogue against his plan.
—Tom Morganthau et al., Newsweek, 11 Dec. 1995
Joseph J. Ellis, The Mercury News, 31 Oct. 2024
Yale historian Timothy Snyder’s new book On Freedom explains how institutions of government can protect human rights while his 2017 book On Tyranny explains how demagogues succeed in eroding those pillars of society to be replaced by a tyrant.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, TIME, 8 Oct. 2024
NBC News, 15 Sep. 2024
The difference in this era of social media is that misinformation spreads like wildfire, people become upset, and politicians feel the need to demagogue an issue rather than simply explain the facts.
—Rex Nelson, Arkansas Online, 5 Nov. 2023
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Cite this Entry
“Demagogue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demagogue. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
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