democracy

Compared meaning: a country governed by the people or elected representatives (noun).

比较义项：由人民或民选代表治理的国家政体（名词）。

• democracy 本词

  Democracy denotes the system of rule by the people through voting; it can exist inside a monarchy, so it does not require the absence of a king or queen, unlike a republic.

  Democracy（民主）指的是人民通过投票掌握统治权的制度本身；它可以存在于君主制国家中，因此不像republic（共和国）那样必须没有国王或女王。

  A country can remain a democracy even if it still has a king or queen.

  一个国家即使仍然保留国王或女王，也可以依然是民主国家。

• republic

  Republic specifically means a country with no king or queen, headed by elected representatives such as a president, so it is used to contrast directly with monarchy.

  Republic（共和国）特指没有国王或女王、由民选代表（如总统）治理的国家，常用来与君主制形成直接对比。

  Some Americans insist their country is a republic, not a democracy.

  有些美国人坚持认为自己的国家是共和国，而不是民主国家。

• commonwealth

  Commonwealth is a more formal, somewhat old-fashioned synonym for republic, typically found in official titles or historical accounts rather than in everyday conversation.

  Commonwealth是republic（共和国）更正式、略显古旧的说法，多见于正式称谓或历史叙述，而非日常口语。

  Historians call the republic that replaced England's monarchy the Commonwealth.

  历史学家把取代英格兰君主制的那个共和国称为“联邦”（Commonwealth）。

Democracy means rule by the people through voting, even under a king or queen. Republic means a country with no king or queen, led by elected representatives like a president. Commonwealth is a formal word for republic. Not covered: commonwealth as a group of countries.

这三个词都可用来描述国家政体，但侧重点不同：democracy强调“由人民投票选出领导人”这一制度本身，哪怕国家仍保留国王或女王，也可能是民主国家；republic和commonwealth都指没有国王或女王、由选举产生的代表治理的国家，其中commonwealth是较正式、偏历史或官方称谓的用法。这里不比较commonwealth作为“英联邦”（多个国家组成、彼此有历史联系的联合体）的常见义项。