demagogue.
A political orator or leader, especially in a democratic system, who gains favor by pandering to or exciting the passions and prejudices of the audience rather than by using rational argument.
Meaning & usage
A political orator or leader, especially in a democratic system, who gains favor by pandering to or exciting the passions and prejudices of the audience rather than by using rational argument.
1938, O'Neill, translating The Knights by Aristophanes, 424 BC, lines 191-193, A demagogue must be neither an educated nor an honest man; he has to be an ignoramus and a rogue.
A leader of the people.
Where this word comes from
From Middle French démagogue, from Ancient Greek δημαγωγός (dēmagōgós, “popular leader, mob leader”), from δῆμος (dêmos, “people”) + ἀγωγός (agōgós, “guide”). By surface analysis, dem- + -agogue.
To speak or act in the manner of a demagogue; to speak about (an issue) in the manner of a demagogue.
c. 1938, Maury Maverick, The New York Times, quoted in 1970, Richard B. Henderson, Maury Maverick: A Political Biography, page 183, I never demagogued on our serious questions and stood for civil liberties.
Where this word comes from
From Middle French démagogue, from Ancient Greek δημαγωγός (dēmagōgós, “popular leader, mob leader”), from δῆμος (dêmos, “people”) + ἀγωγός (agōgós, “guide”). By surface analysis, dem- + -agogue.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.