English Lexicon

Representative government

/ˌrɛp.rɪˈzɛn.tə.tɪv ˈɡʌv.ərn.mənt/
nounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #3500 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A system of government in which all eligible citizens vote on representatives to pass laws for them.

    "The founders of the nation established a representative government to protect the rights and interests of the populace."
  2. 2

    A political framework characterized by popular sovereignty exercised through elected legislative and executive bodies.

    "Maintaining a stable representative government requires active civic participation and an independent judiciary."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from the combination of 'representative' (from Late Latin repraesentare, meaning to exhibit or portray) and 'government' (from Old French gouvernement, ultimately tracing to Latin gubernare, to steer or rule). The compound emerged during the Enlightenment and the Age of Revolutions in the 18th century to describe systems where citizens exercise power through elected officials.

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10 Global Lexicons: How "Representative government" is said worldwide

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🇫🇷French → English

gouvernement représentatif

Transliteration: ɡu.vɛʁ.nə.mɑ̃ ʁe.pʁe.zɑ̃.ta.tif

"La France est un gouvernement représentatif fondé sur des élections libres."

🇩🇪German → English

repräsentative Regierung

Transliteration: ʁɛpʁɛzɛntaˈtiːvə ɡəˈvɪʁnənt

"Eine repräsentative Regierung schützt die Rechte der Minderheiten."

🇮🇹Italian → English

governo rappresentativo

Transliteration: ɡoˈvɛr.no rap.pre.zen.taˈti.vo

"Il parlamento è il pilastro fondamentale di un governo rappresentativo."

🇪🇸Spanish → English

gobierno representativo

Transliteration: ɡoˈβjeɾ.no re.pɾe.sen.taˈti.βo

"El sufragio universal es indispensable para un gobierno representativo."

🇵🇹Portuguese → English

governo representativo

Transliteration: ɡoˈvɛɾ.nu ʁe.pɾe.zẽ.taˈtʃi.vu

"O voto popular sustenta a legitimidade do governo representativo."

🇮🇳Hindi → English

प्रतिनिधि सरकार

Transliteration: pratinidhi sarkar

"भारत दुनिया का एक सबसे बड़ा प्रतिनिधि government है।"

🇨🇳Chinese → English

代议制政府

Transliteration: dài yì zhì zhèng fǔ

"代议制政府通过选举产生的议员来行使权力。"

🇰🇷Korean → English

대의제 정부

Transliteration: dae-ui-je jeong-bu

"대의제 정부에서는 국민이 선거를 통해 대표를 선출합니다."

🇯🇵Japanese → English

代議制政府

Transliteration: daigisei seifu

"代議制政府は国民から選ばれた議員によって運営されます。"

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