French word

démagogie

Pronunciation

IPA/demagoʒi/

Meaning

  • feminine noundemagoguery

Example

Lors des élections, certains candidats pratiquent la démagogie.

During elections, some candidates engage in demagoguery.

Illustration for démagogie (demagoguery)

More examples

Pour convaincre, il évite la démagogie et explique clairement les enjeux.

To persuade, he avoids demagoguery and clearly explains the issues.

Core concept

A politician wins applause by pulling a crowd with fears and desires rather than careful attention to facts and the common good.

Common phrases

  • tomber dans la démagogie

    fall into demagoguery

  • lutter contre la démagogie

    fight against demagoguery

Similar words

populisme: A political stance that expands support by appealing to popular emotions and fears.
démagogue: A politician or speaker who wins support by appealing to mass emotions.
manipulation: The act of distorting judgment by manipulating information or presentation.
propagande: Organized public messaging that presents an opinion or policy in a favorable light.

Definition in French

Discours ou pratique politique qui flatte les émotions et les préjugés du public pour obtenir son soutien, au détriment des faits ou de l'intérêt général.

Word origin

French démagogie is a learned borrowing from Greek δημαγωγία, built from dēmos, 'people', and agōgos, 'leading', whose original idea of leading the people later acquired its negative sense.

Usage tips

  • Démagogie is feminine, so the usual construction is faire de la démagogie, with de la rather than du.

Opposites

Related words

  • démagogiquedemagogicadjective
  • démagogiquementdemagogicallyadverb

Word lists with this word