Demagogus

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than rational argument
2. One who manipulates public opinion by exploiting emotions and societal fears
3. A person who gains power through rhetoric that stirs up discontent and mobilizes the masses against perceived adversaries

Etymology: Ancient Athenian politics gave us this term, though the Greek original was not a flattering one. "Dēmagōgos" combined "dēmos" (the common people, or the citizen body) with "agōgos," from "agein," to lead. Literally it meant "leader of the people," a neutral description of anyone who guided the assembly. Greek writers soon turned it into a jab, and by the time of Aristotle and Thucydides it had acquired its modern sting: a leader who wins the crowd by flattering its prejudices and appetites rather than by sound counsel. The English word arrived in the 1600s, borrowed directly from Greek, and it kept that negative charge. The "agōgos" element also appears in "pedagogue," literally a "child-leader," a slave who escorted boys to school, which makes the family resemblance to "demagogue" a useful memory aid.

Synonyms: demagogue, agitator, rabble-rouser

Antonyms: peacemaker, moderator, conciliator