demagogue:

(also with spelling ‘demagog‘; plural: ‘demagogues‘)

(pronunciation: the letters ‘g’ are said with a ‘g’ sound as in “gun”, but in the word ‘demagogy’ which means ‘the character and practice of ‘demagogue’, the first ‘g’ is said with a ‘g’ sound as in “gun” and the second ‘g’ is said with a ‘g’ sound as in “judge”, however, in the word ‘demagoguery’ which means the same as ‘demagogue’, both ‘g’s’ are said with a ‘g’ sound as in “gun”)

 

The early 20th century American social critic and humorist H.L. Mencken, known for his ‘definitions’ of terms, defined a demagogue as “one who will preach doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots.” – from Wikipedia

Ellesmere Choy, demagogue (an eloquent speaker), Hong Kong

a political leader who tries to gain or has gained power by exciting popular feelings rather than by reasoned argument, i.e. by trying to make people follow him/her not because of the real cause or purpose but because of sentiments being exploited; an agitator;

(usage in ancient times) a popular leader of the common people;

a good speaker,

a demagogue making an inspirational speech

e.g.

Even though what Robert says is true, the rest of the committee members brush him off as a mere demagogue who is using his influence to agitate the public.

Some people consider Hitler of Germany, Fidel Castro of Cuba, George Bush of the USA, etc. as the modern demagogues.

In many countries around the world, the political systems are getting worst day by day because of the demagogues who mislead the common people into believing that they are going to see heaven on earth!

Whenever there is a special occasion at our school, we invite some noted demagogues to make speeches that are inspirational to our teachers and students.

Compare: pedagogue
For an interesting and informative article on the words ‘demagogue’, ‘pedagogue’, ‘demagogy’ and ‘demagogurey’, please click here, for a blog post about demagogue that shows us how we find this word in our daily readings, please click here, for an educative and interesting article on the usage question of demagogue as a verb, please click here, and for an item of news that has this word, please click here.
Note: A new word called ‘medagogue’ which is related to the issue of ‘medical health care in the USA’ has entered into the US political arena. For an article that mentions this word, please click here & please click here.

About the Author:BC Kumar

BC Kumar, an English Language Teacher, taught in numerous countries including Ethiopia, Oman and India, shares his knowledge and passion for the English Language. Disclaimer: This is a free educational website and all content has been compiled by the author. All copyrights to images and videos belong to their respective owners.

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