demagogia

demagoguery

noun deh-mah-goh-JEE-ah Rare

Origin: From Greek 'dēmagōgia', from 'dēmos' (people) + 'agein' (to lead).

Usage Note

Demagogia refers to the political practice of appealing to popular prejudices and emotions rather than reasoned argument. It is always used pejoratively in Italian. The agent noun is demagogo (m) / demagoga (f). The adjective is demagogico. It is a formal, political-register word common in editorial and academic discourse.

Examples

"Il suo discorso era pura demagogia."

Natural Translation

His speech was pure demagoguery.

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