demagogue
noun
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Definition of demagogue
(Entry 1 of 2)
demagogue
verbDefinition of demagogue (Entry 2 of 2)
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Other Words from demagogue
Noun
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noun
, -ËgĂ€-jÄ , -ËgĆ-jÄ \
noun
Synonyms for demagogue
Synonyms: Noun
agitator, exciter, firebrand, fomenter, incendiary, inciter, instigator, kindler, provocateur, rabble-rouser
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Examples of demagogue in a Sentence
Noun
Like other good Whigs, they had assumed that the people, once free of English influence, would honor and elevate the country's true patriots and natural aristocracy in ways that the English Crown had not. But when in the decades following the Revolution the people seemed to succumb to the deceit and flattery of mushroom demagogues, who were the popular counterparts of courtiers, the Federalists became bewildered and bitter. — Gordon S. Wood, Revolutionary Characters, 2006 Before the U.S. could begin to help Haiti rebuild its ravaged democracy last week, it first had to remove a raving demagogue. — Tim Padgett et al., Time, 15 Mar. 2004 Here's the background: Tennessee's finances are a mess. The state is facing a shortfall of some $310 millionâbut legislators remember what happened last year when they considered imposing the first income tax on wages. Goaded by talk-radio demagogues, hundreds of citizens surrounded the Statehouse in a near riot. — Editor & Publisher, 4 Feb. 2002 His opponent called him a bigoted demagogue. that politician is just a demagogue who preys upon people's fears and prejudicesVerb
But Clinton's boldness seemed to work, at least within the Beltway. House Republicans mostly stifled the urge to demagogue against his plan. — Tom Morganthau et al., Newsweek, 11 Dec. 1995Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Borderlands 3, according to its writers, is canonically about how populist demagogues exploit social media, resentment, and fandom to fill the cultural gaps left by powerful corporations. — Adi Robertson, The Verge, "Borderlands 3 has a billion guns, and its most dangerous weapon is vlogging," 14 Aug. 2019 Coverage at stations tilted toward Berlusconi in the 1994 election, soon after scandals felled the conservative government and inspired the entrepreneur turned populist demagogue to throw his hat in the ring. — Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, "How trashy TV made children dumber and enabled a wave of populist leaders," 20 July 2019 What had been the wealthiest nation in South America is now a wasteland of poverty for the citizens, and a golden throne built on theft and corruption by the current totalitarian demagogues. — Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, "Letters: Private-public partnership for U.S. 36 was a mistake (7/17/19)," 18 July 2019 The devastating loss of its special status has exposed this central Western ideology to mockery from demagogues such as Putin and the Hungarian leader Viktor Orban. — Pankaj Mishra, Twin Cities, "Pankaj Mishra: Putinâs wrong, but so are liberals," 11 July 2019 Yet last year, during the 2018 presidential election that swept far-right demagogue Jair Bolsonaro to power, falsehoods like this one built into a crescendo that distorted political conversations beyond any semblance of reality. — Olivia Goldhill, Quartz, "Propaganda spread by data âbombsâ pushed Brazilâs far-right president to power," 10 July 2019 By 1938, millions of Americans listened weekly as Father Charles Coughlin, a Catholic demagogue, celebrated the rise of fascism and decried the existence of the Jews. — Fred Turner, Harper's magazine, "Machine Politics," 10 Jan. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
So are people going to demagogue issues for their convenience? — Alex Daugherty And David Smiley, miamiherald, "Are Miami Democrats overplaying their hand on Trump's 'animals' comment? | Miami Herald," 17 May 2018 With an election coming, advantage goes to those who stayed on the sidelines of the fight and now can demagogue on impossible solutions that would impose no pain and deliver free goodies. — Author: Charles Wohlforth | Opinion, Anchorage Daily News, "A $5,000 dividend would put the âAlaska experimentâ in deep danger," 2 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'demagogue.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for demagogue
demagogue
noun
English Language Learners Definition of demagogue
See the full definition for demagogue in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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