What does "suffrage" mean?
The right or chance to vote, express an opinion, or participate in a decision, especially in a democratic election.
Suffrage
noun
noun ·2 syllables ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The right or chance to vote, express an opinion, or participate in a decision, especially in a democratic election.
- Grammar: suffrage is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: franchise, approval, association, australian ballot.
- Useful contrasts: anti suffrage movement, disenfranchisement, exclusion.
- Usage evidence: The women led the movement to obtain female suffrage.
How to use "suffrage"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "suffrage" 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
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- 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 "suffrage" 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 "suffrage" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "suffrage" is acting as 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
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3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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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 The right or chance to vote, express an opinion, or participate in a decision, especially in a democratic election. uncountable, usually
"universal suffrage, women's suffrage, negro suffrage"
- 2 a legal right guaranteed by the 15th amendment to the US Constitution; guaranteed to women by the 19th amendment wordnet
- 3 The right or chance to vote, express an opinion, or participate in a decision, especially in a democratic election.; The right of women to vote. US, uncountable, usually
"What role did the House of Commons play in the political life of the nation in the aftermath of suffrage? There is surprisingly little historiography to help answer the question."
- 4 A vote in deciding a particular question. countable, usually
"But the President himself says that " upon him has been devolved, by the constitution, and the suffrages of the American people, the duty of superintending the operation of the executive departments of the Government,"
- 5 A prayer, for example a prayer offered for the faithful dead. countable, usually
"1564, Pope Pius IV (unknown translator), Creed of Pope Pius IV I firmly believe that there is a purgatory, and that the souls therein detained are helped by the suffrages of the faithful."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 A short petition, as those after the creed in matins and evensong. countable, usually
"Lastly, in this suffrage, we intercede for prisoners and captives; we "remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them.""
- 7 Aid, intercession. uncountable, usually
"Retoricyons and oratours, in freſhe humanyte Support parrot, I pray you wᵗ your ſuffrage ornate Of confuſe tantum, auoydynge the chekmate"
- 8 Testimony; attestation; witness; approval. uncountable, usually
"Lactantius and St. Austin are not afraid to confirm by their suffrage the observation made by the heathen writers, that[…]"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The women led the movement to obtain female suffrage."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "suffrage"?
Common synonyms include: franchise, approval, association, australian ballot, aye, ballot.
How do you use "suffrage" in a sentence?
The women led the movement to obtain female suffrage.
Etymology
From Middle English suffrage (“prayers or pleas on behalf of another”), from Old French, from Medieval Latin suffragium, from Latin suffragium (“support, vote, right of voting”). The sense of "vote" or "right to vote" was directly derived from classical Latin.