What does "demographic" mean?
A demographic criterion: a characteristic used to classify people for statistical purposes, such as age, race, or gender.
Demographic
adj, noun
adj, noun ·4 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A demographic criterion: a characteristic used to classify people for statistical purposes, such as age, race, or gender.
- Grammar: demographic is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: census-based, city population trend, cohort, ethnic.
- Useful contrasts: all people, collective, non demographic.
- Usage evidence: Child-care leave and time off to care for the aged are needed in order to respond to demographic changes now taking place in Japan.
How to use "demographic"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "demographic" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "demographic" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "demographic" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "demographic" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "demographic" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "census-based" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "demographic", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A demographic criterion: a characteristic used to classify people for statistical purposes, such as age, race, or gender. in-plural
"1985, Richard I. Henderson, Compensation Management: Rewarding Performance, Fourth Edition, Reston Pub. Co., →ISBN, page 604, Of significant current interest is the fact that the compa-ratio can be used to analyze the pay treatment of specific groups of employees. Segregating employees by such demographics as gender, race, or age group (e.g., 18–25, 26–39, 40–50, 51–65), a compa-ratio analysis could provide a first indication […]"
- 2 a statistic characterizing human populations (or segments of human populations broken down by age or sex or income etc.) wordnet
- 3 A demographic group: a collection of people sharing a value for a certain demographic criterion.
"2002, Laura Grindstaff, ‘Pretty Woman with a Gun: La Femme Nikita and the Textual Politics of “The Remake”’, in Jennifer Forrest and Leonard R. Koos (eds.), Dead Ringers: The Remake in Theory and Practice, State University of New York Press, →ISBN, page 281, […] it was also the initial verdict for the Nikita television series before the show garnered something of a cult following among the crucial 30–something demographic, at which point the critical response grew decidedly more favorable."
- 4 An individual person's characteristic, encoded for the purposes of statistical analysis.
Adjective
- 1 Of or pertaining to demography.
"Yet it does bring up a much more real problem about China's demographic transition, which has led some to argue that China will "get old before it gets rich.""
Adjective
- 1 of or relating to demography wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Child-care leave and time off to care for the aged are needed in order to respond to demographic changes now taking place in Japan."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "demographic"?
Common synonyms include: census-based, city population trend, cohort, ethnic, group, group specific.
How do you use "demographic" in a sentence?
Child-care leave and time off to care for the aged are needed in order to respond to demographic changes now taking place in Japan.
Etymology
From demography + -ic.