Demagogue
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A political orator or leader, especially in a democratic system, who gains favor by pandering to or exciting the passions and prejudices of the audience rather than by using rational argument. derogatory
"1938, O'Neill, translating The Knights by Aristophanes, 424 BC, lines 191-193, A demagogue must be neither an educated nor an honest man; he has to be an ignoramus and a rogue."
- 2 a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular passions and prejudices wordnet
- 3 A leader of the people. historical
- 1 To speak or act in the manner of a demagogue; to speak about (an issue) in the manner of a demagogue. intransitive, transitive
"c. 1938, Maury Maverick, The New York Times, quoted in 1970, Richard B. Henderson, Maury Maverick: A Political Biography, page 183, I never demagogued on our serious questions and stood for civil liberties."
Example
More examples"He is a stubborn and intransigent demagogue."
Etymology
From Middle French démagogue, from Ancient Greek δημαγωγός (dēmagōgós, “popular leader, mob leader”), from δῆμος (dêmos, “people”) + ἀγωγός (agōgós, “guide”). By surface analysis, dem- + -agogue.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.