English Reference
Adverb

democratically

adv. manner
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˌdɛməˈkɹætɪkɫi/ UK /dˌɛməkɹˈætɪkli/ demo·crat·i·cal·ly

adv.in a way that follows the rules of democracy, where everyone has a fair say or a vote. It describes making decisions together as a group.

adv.in a manner consistent with the principles of democracy, typically involving equal participation or voting by all members of a group.


SIMPLE

The club members voted democratically to choose their new leader.

CONTEXTUAL

The committee decided democratically that the remaining funds should be donated to a local charity.

COMPLEX

While the organization claims to operate democratically, critics argue that the complex voting system actually concentrates power in the hands of a few senior officials.

Usage

Manner adverb — typically follows the verb or the direct object.

Among the attendees on Saturday was Lech Wałęsa, who led the movement to end communism in Poland and would go on to become the country's first democratically elected president.

BBC News· 16 Aug 2026

At the same time, she cautioned against generalising, arguing that the majority of students remain democratically oriented and have no nationalist or right-wing ambitions.

Al Jazeera· 14 Aug 2026

Partly from democratical + -ly (suffix forming adverbs), and from democratic + -ally (variant of -ly), modelled after Middle French democratiquement (modern French démocratiquement).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated