universal suffrage
1
5.1
- noun
- /ˌjunɪˈvɜrsəl ˈsʌfrɪdʒ/
:
sufragio universal
- Many activists fought for universal suffrage to ensure that every adult had the right to vote.
- elections held under universal suffrage
- parliament elected by universal suffrage
- elected by universal suffrage
In the time and place that I study, universal suffrage was officially the law of the land.
- In the time and place that I study, universal suffrage was officially the law of the land.
Examples
-
Despite efforts to restrict electoral rights, universal suffrage remained a central tenet of republican politics.
Academic text (1999) -
Two-thirds of the members of the Assembly are elected by universal suffrage for a four-year term.
Academic text (1992) -
The one thing that makes this country really unique is our commitment to universal suffrage.
Blog text (32) -
In the time and place that I study, universal suffrage was officially the law of the land.
-
Some Chinese like to point out that it took the United States almost two centuries to achieve universal suffrage.
Academic text (2008) -
In this discussion, we should remember that the country as founded did not have universal suffrage.
Blog text (6) -
The ultimate aim is the election of all the members of the Legislative Council by universal suffrage.
Academic text (1990) -
As La Lucha stated, "in a country with universal suffrage, it is not possible to disregard popular feelings."
Academic text (1999) -
There was a Finnish parliament elected by universal suffrage as early as 1906.
Academic text (1992) -
Yet the four competing proposals circulating on the floor all adhered to the principle of universal suffrage and disagreed only in aspects of secondary importance.
Academic text (1999)
Synonyms
53
2.3
The legal permission to vote in an election
19
7.6
The right to vote in elections
19
3.3
Official permission to vote in elections and group decisions
15
6.6
The right to vote in public elections
How Inclusive
1
5.1
19
7.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the right of almost all adults to vote' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'universal' (applying to all) with 'suffrage' (the legal right to vote). This straightforward modifier+noun composition is cross-linguistically common (e.g., Spanish 'sufragio universal', French 'suffrage universel'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Universal suffrage joins universal ('for everyone') and suffrage, an old word for 'vote' that comes from the image of people showing support by dropping a small pebble or token. So universal suffrage means giving the 'vote' to almost all adults.