characterized by or advocating or based upon the principles of democracy or social equality
"democratic government"
"a democratic country"
"a democratic scorn for bloated dukes and lords"
representing or appealing to or adapted for the benefit of the people at large
"democratic art forms"
"a democratic or popular movement"
"popular thought"
"popular science"
"popular fiction"
Pertaining to democracy; favoring democracy, or constructed upon the principle of government by the people.
"The senator announced that she would run as a democratic candidate in the upcoming primary election."
Of or pertaining to the Democratic Party.
In plain English: Democratic describes a system where people have an equal say in how they are ruled, usually by voting.
"The democratic process allows every citizen to vote for their leaders."
Usage: Use democratic only to describe systems where power rests with the people through voting, not to refer to the Democratic Party. When discussing American politics specifically, clarify that you mean the party by saying "Democratic" with a capital D.
The word democratic comes from Ancient Greek, where it originally described something as "pertaining to democracy" or favorable to the rule of the people. It traveled into English through Middle French and Late Latin before taking on its modern meaning related to political systems based on popular sovereignty.