democratize
/dɪˈmɒkɹətaɪz/
democratize means to make democratic. It carries an Arena rating of 1275, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, democratize ranks #356 of 13,272 for Most Malleable Words, #1,487 of 13,272 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #4,964 of 13,272 for Most Elegant Words, #7,142 of 13,272 for Most Beautiful Words.
democratize is pronounced /dɪˈmɒkɹətaɪz/.
Why “democratize” is a great word
To render a system, resource, or principle broadly accessible and participatory, extending its benefits and governance beyond an exclusive group. From French *démocratiser*, from *démocratie* ("democracy") + *-iser* ("-ize"), equivalent to English democrat + -ize, first attested in English c. 1798. Unlike "popularize," which merely disseminates a trend, or "centralize," which consolidates authority, to democratize is to deliberately devolve and disperse. It is the printing press shattering the scriptorium's monopoly, the tangible weight of a ballot in a newly enfranchised hand, and the simple, profound act of placing a tool in every pair of willing hands—a quiet insistence that the machinery of progress should hum not for the few, but for the many.
Etymology
From French démocratiser, equivalent to democrat + -ize.
verb
- 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-1990”
- To broaden access to (something), especially for the sake of egalitarianism.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.