Ma'anar ƙamus na dimokuradiyya, tsarin mulki ne wanda aka ba wa al'umma mulki, waɗanda suke mulki kai tsaye ko ta hanyar zaɓaɓɓun wakilai. A tsarin dimokuradiyya, jama'a na da ra'ayin yadda ake gudanar da mulkinsu, kuma ana yanke hukunci ne bisa ra'ayin masu rinjaye. Sauran sifofi na dimokuradiyya na iya haɗawa da kare haƙƙin ɗaiɗai da ‘yancin kai, bin doka da oda, da raba madafun iko tsakanin sassan gwamnati.