antidemocrat
|an-ti-dem-o-crat|
/ˌæn.tiˈdɛm.ə.kræt/
against democracy / Democrats
Etymology
'antidemocrat' is formed from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against') + 'democrat' (from Greek 'dēmokratēs', 'dēmos' meaning 'people' + 'kratos' meaning 'power' or 'rule').
'democrat' comes from Greek 'dēmokratēs' (a supporter of rule by the people), passed into Late Latin and French and then Middle English as 'democrat' or related forms; adding the modern English prefix 'anti-' produced 'antidemocrat' as a compound meaning someone against a democrat or democracy.
Initially, components referred simply to 'against' + 'supporter of rule by the people'; over time the compound has been used both to mean opposition to democratic principles and, informally, opposition to members of the Democratic Party.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who is opposed to democracy or democratic principles.
The activist was labeled an antidemocrat by those who defended electoral reforms.
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Noun 2
informal: a person who opposes members of the Democratic Party (in contexts, especially US politics).
During the campaign he was described as an antidemocrat who would never vote for a Democratic candidate.
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Adjective 1
opposed to democracy or democratic principles (rare; more commonly 'antidemocratic').
The group's antidemocrat rhetoric alarmed civil liberties organizations.
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Last updated: 2025/08/30 15:23