dem.
Medium (in political contexts, especially US journalism); Very Low (in general contexts without political reference).Informal, journalistic, occasionally eye-dialect. Considered non-standard outside of its function as a political abbreviation.
Definition
Meaning
An abbreviation, most commonly for 'democrat' (a member or supporter of a Democratic Party, especially in US politics) or 'democratic' (relating to democracy or the Democratic Party).
Informal abbreviation can also be found in other contexts, such as 'demography' or 'demonstration', but is far less frequent without disambiguating context. In non-political contexts, it may be seen as a colloquial clipping of 'them' in eye-dialect representations of speech (e.g., 'Let 'em go' written as 'Let dem go').
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Overwhelmingly associated with US politics. The abbreviation carries the full political connotations of the words it represents. When used as eye-dialect for 'them', it is often used to represent non-standard accents or informal speech and can carry negative sociolinguistic stereotypes.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In American English, 'Dem.' is a standard journalistic abbreviation for 'Democrat' or 'Democratic'. In British English, the abbreviation is understood but less frequently used in domestic coverage, as the primary 'Democrat' reference is to US politics. The eye-dialect use for 'them' is shared but rare in formal writing.
Connotations
In the US, highly politicized, directly invoking the Democratic Party. In the UK, primarily connotes foreign (US) politics. The eye-dialect use can connote uneducated speech or specific accents in both varieties.
Frequency
Far more frequent in American English due to the centrality of its referent in domestic news.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Proper Noun] (D-Mass.)the Dem. candidate for [office]a leading Dem.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare, except in political risk analysis or lobbying contexts (e.g., 'Dem.-controlled committee').
Academic
Used in political science texts and articles, primarily as a space-saving abbreviation.
Everyday
Very rare in spoken language as an abbreviation. The eye-dialect 'dem' for 'them' appears in informal written representations of speech.
Technical
Standard in journalism, political reporting, and election coverage.
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- The Dem. nominee is expected to visit London.
American English
- She won the Dem. primary in a landslide.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- He is a Dem. senator.
- The article was about Dem. policies.
- The Dem. candidate focused her campaign on healthcare reform.
- Control of the state legislature could flip if several Dem. seats are lost.
- Despite internal divisions, the Dem. caucus managed to pass the bill.
- The columnist analysed the shifting demographics of the Dem. electorate.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'DEM' as the first three letters of 'DEMocrat'. It's like a political nametag.
Conceptual Metaphor
ABBREVIATION IS DISTILLATION (reducing a complex political identity to a short, neutral label).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with the Russian prefix 'дем-' (as in 'демография' - demography).
- When translating US political news, 'Dem.' is not translated; it remains 'демократ(ический)' in full form.
- The eye-dialect 'dem' for 'them' has no relation to the Russian pronoun 'им' (to them).
Common Mistakes
- Using 'Dem.' in formal prose where 'Democrat' or 'Democratic' is required.
- Pronouncing the abbreviation as separate letters 'D-E-M' instead of as the syllable /dem/.
- Assuming it is a standard word outside of specific abbreviated contexts.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'dem.' LEAST likely to be an abbreviation for 'Democrat'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a standard abbreviation, not a full word. It is used primarily in written contexts like journalism and political science to save space.
You pronounce it as the syllable /dem/, rhyming with 'them'. You do not spell out the letters D-E-M.
Only if you are writing in a political science or journalism context where abbreviations like 'Rep.' and 'Dem.' are conventional. In most formal essays, write the full word 'Democrat' or 'Democratic'.
It is an example of 'eye-dialect'—a non-standard spelling used in literature or informal writing to represent how a word sounds in certain accents. It is not considered correct standard spelling.