Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A leader who obtains power by means of impassioned appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the populace.
- noun A leader of the common people in ancient times.
- transitive verb Usage Problem To speak about (an issue, for example) in the manner of a demagogue.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Historically, a leader of the people; a person who sways the people by oratory or persuasion.
- noun An unprincipled popular orator or leader; one who endeavors to curry favor with the people or some particular portion of them by pandering to their prejudices or wishes, or by playing on their ignorance or passions; specifically, an unprincipled political agitator; one who seeks to obtain political power or the furtherance of some sinister purpose by pandering to the ignorance or prejudice of the populace.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A leader of the rabble; one who attempts to control the multitude by specious or deceitful arts; an unprincipled and factious mob orator or political leader.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun historical A
leader of thepeople . - noun pejorative An
orator or leader who gains favor bypandering to or exciting thepassions andprejudices of theaudience . - verb To speak or act in the manner of a demagogue; to speak about (an issue) in the manner of a demagogue.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular passions and prejudices
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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We often use the term demagogue here at Volunteer Hoosier.
A Will Rogers Moment Randy Smith 2005
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We often use the term demagogue here at Volunteer Hoosier.
Archive 2005-06-05 Randy Smith 2005
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What makes you think this demagogue is anything different? edward says:
Matthew Yglesias » The Defense Budget and Political Will 2010
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What historians have said, they use this term demagogue so freely, I just wondered what you think of that term for Mississippi politicians from
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What makes Rush a hate speech demagogue is the fact that he only targets liberals with his garbage.
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Perhaps a firebrand demagogue from a "backwards" Southern state begins to organize Share Our Health Clubs calling for a radical nationalization of the entire health care infrastructure.
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We spotted Obama as an empty suit and pandering hyoocritical demagogue from the start.
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The career of Tom Watson, who mutated from radical egalitarian to racist demagogue, is symbolic of the Faustian bargain of Southern populism.
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A demagogue is simply, etymologically speaking, “a leader of the people.”
Is That Legal?: In the wake of the Kerry Remarks, Democrats are...WINNING. 2006
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Seeing it also in the radical imams at the heart of Muslim fundamentalism, and in the major forces of 20th Century politics, I wonder if the demagogue is perhaps the most adaptive form of the latter-day Pentheus in the Modern era, the age of mass-communication.
Archive 2006-09-01 Hal Duncan 2006
catherin19 commented on the word demagogue
Just for fun
February 14, 2010
bilby commented on the word demagogue
Life of the Party.
February 14, 2010