demagogue

1 of 2

noun

dem·​a·​gogue ˈde-mə-ˌgäg 

variants or less commonly demagog

1

: a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power

2

: a leader championing the cause of the common people in ancient times

demagoguery

ˈde-mə-ˌgä-g(ə-)rē 

noun

demagogy

ˈde-mə-ˌgä-gē 

-ˌgä-jē

-ˌgō-jē

noun

demagogue

2 of 2

verb

variants or less commonly demagog

demagogued also demagoged; demagoguing also demagoging

intransitive verb

: to behave like a demagogue

transitive verb

: to treat (something, such as an issue) in the manner of a demagogue

Did you know?

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

Noun

• agitator
• exciter
• firebrand
• fomenter
• incendiary
• inciter
• instigator
• kindler
• provocateur
• rabble-rouser

Examples of demagogue in a Sentence

Noun

Like other good Whigs, they had assumed that the people, once free of English influence, would honor and elevate the country's true patriots and natural aristocracy in ways that the English Crown had not. But when in the decades following the Revolution the people seemed to succumb to the deceit and flattery of mushroom demagogues, who were the popular counterparts of courtiers, the Federalists became bewildered and bitter. —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

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

So when a demagogue like Trump speaks to her pain and promises to bring factories back, of course her heart leaps. —Nicholas Kristof, The Mercury News, 4 Sep. 2024

As a result, the very outcome the founders most feared, namely election of a demagogue by a gullible cult of true-believers, has been made possible because of the Electoral College, which was originally designed to avoid precisely that outcome. —Joseph J. Ellis, The Mercury News, 31 Oct. 2024

Verb

Say it over and over again, so long as there’s wealth there will be politicians trying to demagogue it. —John Tamny, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024

Where there’s wealth there will be politicians trying to get the wealth, or demagogue the wealth in order to get it, which means businesses must have a Washington strategy. —John Tamny, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Greek dēmagōgós, from dêmos "people" + -agōgos "leading, impelling" — more at demo-, -agogue

Verb

verbal derivative of demagogue entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1629, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1656, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

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Kids Definition

demagogue

noun

dem·​a·​gogue

variants also demagog

ˈdem-ə-ˌgäg

: a person who appeals to the emotions and prejudices of people in order to arouse discontent and advance his or her own political purposes

demagogic

ˌdem-ə-ˈgäg-ik

 also  -ˈgäj-

adjective

demagoguery

ˈdem-ə-ˌgäg-(ə-)rē

noun

demagogy

-ˌgäg-ē

-ˌgäj-

-ˌgō-jē

noun