democratize
verbUK /dɪˈmɒkɹətaɪz/ · US /dɪˈmɑkɹətaɪz/
Etymology From French démocratiser, equivalent to democrat + -ize.
1
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 To broaden access to (something), especially for the sake of egalitarianism.
- Derived terms
- democratizable, democratization, democratizer, redemocratize, undemocratize, undemocratized