Antidemocratic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Opposed to the principles of democracy, such as equal participation and majority rule by elected representatives
2. Hostile toward or rejecting government by the people and the free election of those who hold power
3. Describing a policy, attitude or system that undermines popular rule and the democratic right of citizens to decide

Etymology: The prefix "anti-" comes from the Greek "antí," meaning "against" or "opposite to," and it has been attached to English words since the 1600s, so "antidemocratic" is a plain combination rather than a coinage with a story behind it. The base word goes back to ancient Greek "dēmokratía," built from "dêmos," meaning "the common people" or "the people of a district," and "krátos," meaning "power" or "rule." Together they described rule by the many rather than the few. That Greek compound passed through Late Latin "democraticus" and Middle French "démocratique" before reaching English as "democratic." English speakers have used the word since the 1500s, and the idea behind it was often treated with suspicion for centuries, because Greek writers such as Plato and Aristotle had mostly regarded rule by the common citizens as a flawed form of government. Because "antidemocratic" simply joins the prefix to "democratic," it carries the sense of working against that ordinary, popular rule. Its meaning therefore follows directly from the parts it is made of.

Synonyms: undemocratic, authoritarian, totalitarian, autocratic, dictatorial

Antonyms: democratic