Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A leader who obtains power by means of impassioned appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the populace.
- n. A leader of the common people in ancient times.
- v. Usage Problem To speak about (an issue, for example) in the manner of a demagogue.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Historically, a leader of the people; a person who sways the people by oratory or persuasion.
- n. 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.
Wiktionary
- n. historical A leader of the people.
- n. pejorative An orator or leader who gains favor by pandering to or exciting the passions and prejudices of the audience.
- v. To speak or act in the manner of a demagogue; to speak about (an issue) in the manner of a demagogue.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. 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.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular passions and prejudices
Etymologies
- From Ancient Greek δημαγωγός (demagogos, "popular leader, mob leader"), from δῆμος (demos, "people") + ἀγωγός (agogos, "guide"). (Wiktionary)
- Greek dēmagōgos, popular leader : dēmos, people; see dā- in Indo-European roots + agōgos, leading (from agein, to lead; see ag- in Indo-European roots). (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“We often use the term demagogue here at Volunteer Hoosier.”
“What makes you think this demagogue is anything different? edward says:”
“What historians have said, they use this term demagogue so freely, I just wondered what you think of that term for Mississippi politicians from”
“What makes Rush a hate speech demagogue is the fact that he only targets liberals with his garbage.”
“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.”
“We spotted Obama as an empty suit and pandering hyoocritical demagogue from the start.”
“The career of Tom Watson, who mutated from radical egalitarian to racist demagogue, is symbolic of the Faustian bargain of Southern populism.”
“A demagogue is simply, etymologically speaking, “a leader of the people.””
Is That Legal?: In the wake of the Kerry Remarks, Democrats are...WINNING.
“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.”
“Intellectually, I know I shouldn't care if generic democrat #29 thinks that I'm a racist, but I'm not, and I truly resent being told that I am because some half-weight half-term demagogue of a Senator and his swarm of smarmy surrogates think it's a cheap way to suppress dissent.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘demagogue’.
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POL - scandalous (single words only)
cadre, bribery, bashing, backhander, clash, crony, coercion, coterie, chicanery, baksheesh, acolyte, backlash and 256 more...
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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Bad Options
words for those who commit particular crimes: i.e., bank robber, arsonist, etc.
liar, cheat, traitor, arsonist, felon, braggard, thief, profiteer, impostor, phony, fraud, culprit and 212 more...
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501
Classic
mete, ire, bane, bilk, boor, elan, ado, toil, onus, aberration, abstruse, anomaly and 401 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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POL - scandalous (words and collocati...
Words and collocations associated with political scandal
blow the whistle, boo, cronyism and rigging, democratic deficit, denigrate, dirty linen, fiasco, finger pointing a..., graft, hidden account, hush money, illicit financing... and 578 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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GRE 2014
abase, abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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phrontistery - d
from phrontistery.info
dacnomania, dacoitage, dacryops, dactylioglyph, dactyliology, dactyliomancy, dactylogram, dactylography, dactyloid, dactylology, dactylomancy, dactylomegaly and 624 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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Words build meanings from origins( et...
These come from gamma meditation ,I think.
discursive, exogenous, machinations, purportedly, sumptuous, congruity, cantankerous, incongruous, festoon, hessian, ratiocinative, stratigraphic and 2046 more...
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POL - partisan
fraction, internal grumbling, Laborites, party bigwig, party boss, party chief, party line, placeman, rank and file, step out of line, the rank and file..., transnational party and 79 more...
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Words About Words
code-switching, amphiboly, hermeneutics, echolalia, boustrophedon, logorrhea, trope, harangue, shibboleth, rhotic, susurrous, metonymy and 6 more...
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In provocation
When exasperated, vexed or distressed.
bunkum, pananxiety, hokum, odor of sanctity, facade of strength, bumpkin, sardonic, Philistine, Vandal, dilettante, acerbic, acrid and 11 more...
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ocracy
politically motivated
demagogue, autocracy, oligarchy, reformist, cadre, colonialism, neo imperalism, nationalist, neoliberal, communism, socialism, egalitarianism and 5 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for demagogue.

bilby Life of the Party. Feb 14, 2010