English Reference

Word

republican

Phoneticsre·pub·li·can

US/ɹiˈpəbɫəkən/

UK/ɹɪpˈʌblɪkən/

Definitions

01supporter of a republic

B1

n. someone who believes a country should be a republic, which means it is led by elected people rather than a king or queen.

n. an advocate of a republic as a form of government, specifically one in which the head of state is not a monarch.

“After the revolution, many people became republicans and wanted to elect their own leader.”

“The transition from a monarchy to a democratic state was driven by a vocal group of republicans who demanded a constitution.”

Synonyms

Antonyms

monarchistroyalist

02US political party member

B1

n. a member or supporter of the Republican Party in the United States.

n. a member or supporter of the Republican Party, one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States.

“The local republican candidate promised to lower taxes if he won the election.”

“The senator has been a lifelong Republican, consistently voting in favour of fiscal conservatism and reduced federal oversight.”

American English

Synonyms

Antonyms

03Irish nationalist

B2

n. in Ireland, someone who wants Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to be one single country.

n. a person who advocates for a united Irish republic, often associated with a specific nationalist political tradition.

“The history book explains the conflict between republicans and unionists in Belfast.”

“The peace process required extensive negotiations between republican leaders and those who wished to remain part of the United Kingdom.”

British English · Dialect

Synonyms

Antonyms

04relating to a republic

B1

adj. relating to a republic or the idea that people should choose their leaders.

adj. pertaining to, characteristic of, or supporting a republic as a system of government.

“The country has a republican system where the president is elected every four years.”

“The scholars debated whether the new constitution truly reflected republican ideals of liberty and civic participation.”

Antonyms

monarchical

Etymology

From republican (“favoring a republic”).

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

This entry

Level
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/republican

English Reference