Dictionary

democratize en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /dɪˈmɒkɹətaɪz/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /dɪˈmɒkɹətaɪz/ (Canada, US, dialectal)
• /dɪˈmɔkɹətɑez/ (Australia)
• /dɪˈmɑkɹətaɪz/ (Atlantic-Canada, General-American)

Etymology

From French démocratiser. By surface analysis, democrat(ic) + -ize.

Meanings

1. (qualifier:strictly, transitive) To make democratic.
   • Three distinct patterns within this wave are clear: Democratic backsliding in some traditionally stable democracies; significant reversals and often breakdown of democracy in countries that successfully democratized during the late 20th and early 21st centuries; and deepening of autocracy in already autocratic states. […] The number of autocratizing countries (red line) increases from the mid-1990s-early 2000s, to surpass the number of democratizing countries in 2012. […] Montenegro started to democratize with the 2020 elections ending nearly three decades of rule by the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS). 2026, “Unraveling The Democratic Era?”, in V-Dem Institute, archived from the original on 17 Mar 2026, pages 7, 18, 29:
2. (broadly, transitive) To broaden access to (something), especially for the sake of egalitarianism.

Forms

Deriveds

democratization · undemocratize · undemocratized · democratizable · redemocratize · democratizer

Translations (55)

pl zdemokratyzować (to make democratic) · nl democratiseren (to make democratic) · sk demokratizovať (to make democratic) · pt democratizar (to make democratic) · ast democratizar (to make democratic) · hy ժողովրդավարացնել (to make democratic) · es democratizar (to make democratic) · de demokratisieren (to make democratic) · sq demokratizoj (to make democratic) · ka გადემოკრატიულება (to make democratic) · da demokratisere (to make democratic) · fi demokratisoida (to make democratic) · pl demokratyzować (to make democratic) · it democratizzare (to make democratic) · fr démocratiser (to make democratic) · hu demokratizál (to make democratic) · el εκδημοκρατίζω (to make democratic) · sh demokratizírati (to make democratic) · ga daonlathaigh (to make democratic) · ru демократизи́ровать (to make democratic) · sl demokratizirati (to make democratic) · ko 민주화(民主化)하다 (to make democratic) · lt demokratizuoti (to make democratic) · gl democratizar (to make democratic) · tr demokratikleştirmek (to make democratic) · bg демократизи́рам (to make democratic) · tk demokratiýalaşdyrmak (to make democratic) · vi dân chủ hoá (to make democratic) · ca democratitzar (to make democratic) · az demokratikləşdirmək (to make democratic) · oc democratizar (to make democratic) · ar دَقْرَطَ (to make democratic) · be дэмакратызава́ць (to make democratic) · sh демократизовати (to make democratic) · ja 民主化する (to make democratic) · hy ռամկավարացնել (to make democratic) · sv demokratisera (to make democratic) · ro a democratiza (to make democratic) · mn ардчилах (to make democratic) · yi דעמאָקראַטיזירן (to make democratic) · ug دېموكراتىيەلەشتۈرمەك (to make democratic) · cs demokratizovat (to make democratic) · uk демократизува́ти (to make democratic) · sh demokratizovati (to make democratic) · ar مَقْرَطَ (to make democratic) · lv demokratizēt (to make democratic) · ga déan daonlathach (to make democratic) · fi kansanvaltaistaa (to make democratic) · ar دَمَقْرَطَ (to make democratic) · et demokratiseerima (to make democratic) · sh демократизи́рати (to make democratic) · nb demokratisere (to make democratic) · uz demokratlashtirmoq (to make democratic) · mk демократизи́ра (to make democratic) · cmn 民主化 (to make democratic)