sortition: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2Formal, Academic, Technical
Quick answer
What does “sortition” mean?
The selection of individuals for public office or jury duty by random drawing, typically from a larger pool of candidates.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The selection of individuals for public office or jury duty by random drawing, typically from a larger pool of candidates.
The practice of using random selection as a method for decision-making or allocation, especially in political or judicial contexts to ensure impartiality and representativeness.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical differences. The concept is more frequently discussed in UK political theory due to historical parliamentary reforms, while in the US it is often discussed in the context of citizen assemblies or jury selection.
Connotations
In both varieties, it connotes classical democracy, deliberative democracy, and anti-corruption mechanisms. In the US, it may have a stronger association with modern civic lottery experiments.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in everyday language in both varieties. Slightly higher occurrence in UK academic texts on political history.
Grammar
How to Use “sortition” in a Sentence
The [committee/assembly] was chosen by sortition.They advocated for the use of sortition to select [juries/members].Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “sortition” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- [No standard verb form. The process is 'to select by sortition'.]
American English
- [No standard verb form. The process is 'to choose by sortition'.]
adverb
British English
- [No standard adverb form.]
American English
- [No standard adverb form.]
adjective
British English
- The sortition process was meticulously overseen.
- They proposed a sortition-based assembly.
American English
- The sortition method ensured impartiality.
- A sortition-selected panel convened.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Used in political science, philosophy, and classical studies to describe historical or theoretical models of governance.
Everyday
Extremely rare. Would likely require explanation.
Technical
Used in specific discussions of deliberative democracy, citizen assemblies, and constitutional design.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “sortition”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “sortition”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “sortition”
- Mispronouncing as /ˈsɔːtɪʃən/ (stress on first syllable).
- Confusing it with 'sorption' (a chemical process).
- Using it as a verb (e.g., 'to sortition' is incorrect).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, in limited forms. Modern uses include selecting citizen juries for deliberative polls, choosing participants for citizens' assemblies (e.g., on climate policy), and in some jury selection processes.
Its primary advantage is impartiality; it prevents bias, corruption, and the dominance of elites by giving every eligible person an equal random chance of being selected.
An election is a competitive, choice-based selection where voters express a preference. Sortition is a non-competitive, chance-based selection where individuals are chosen randomly.
While most famously used in Athenian democracy, elements of sortition have appeared in other historical contexts, such as in medieval Italian city-states like Venice, and in some religious traditions for selecting leaders.
The selection of individuals for public office or jury duty by random drawing, typically from a larger pool of candidates.
Sortition is usually formal, academic, technical in register.
Sortition: in British English it is pronounced /sɔːˈtɪʃ(ə)n/, and in American English it is pronounced /sɔrˈtɪʃən/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No common idioms. The term itself is technical.]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: SORTition helps SORT people into roles by chance, like drawing SORts from a hat.
Conceptual Metaphor
GOVERNMENT IS A GAME OF CHANCE (where fairness is ensured by randomness).
Practice
Quiz
In which field is the term 'sortition' MOST likely to be used?