English Reference

Word

participatory

Phoneticspar·tic·i·pa·to·ry

US/ˌpɑɹˈtɪsəpəˌtɔɹi/

UK/pɑːtˈɪsɪpətəɹˌi/

Definition

adj. describing an activity or system where everyone involved has a chance to join in and help make decisions.

adj. relating to or involving the active participation of those concerned, especially in a social or political context. Often used to describe democratic or educational models that decentralise power.

Examples

“The school uses a participatory approach to learning.”

“The city council introduced participatory budgeting, allowing residents to vote directly on how to spend local funds.”

“Scholars argue that participatory media platforms have fundamentally altered the relationship between content creators and their audiences by blurring the lines of traditional authority.”

Examples

simple

“The school uses a participatory approach to learning.”

contextual

“The city council introduced participatory budgeting, allowing residents to vote directly on how to spend local funds.”

complex

“Scholars argue that participatory media platforms have fundamentally altered the relationship between content creators and their audiences by blurring the lines of traditional authority.”

Usage

Typically used attributively before a noun; often appears in academic or political contexts.

Real-World Examples

“A maximum of 12 people at any one time sign up to a 30-minute participatory show with a lie detector test at its heart.”
The Guardian · 19 Aug 2026
“I have worked with multiple youth advisory boards around gun injury prevention , positive youth development and public safety using an approach called participatory action research .”
The Conversation · 23 Jul 2026
“People have been responding really well to that and saying they like the interactivity, the participatory and cross-cultural nature of it, and the intersectional nature speaks to them,” he says.”
Smithsonian Magazine · 8 Jun 2016

Word family

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

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English Reference