Grassroots: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Grassroots adjective. Coming from ordinary people and local members rather than from leaders or official bodies.
How to say it
GRAHSS-roots/ˈɡrɑːsruːts/ · American /ˈɡræsruːts/
2 syllables, stressed on the first (GRAHSS).
Meanings
- Coming from ordinary people and local members rather than from leaders or official bodies.
- As a noun, the ordinary members of an organisation or movement.
Grassroots in a sentence
What began as a grassroots campaign in one village now has volunteers in every county.
The party's grassroots felt the leadership had stopped listening to them.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- popular
- bottom-up
- local
- rank-and-file
Opposite:
- top-down
Where grassroots comes from
From the image of the roots of grass; the political sense took hold in early 20th-century America.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
The party's _____ felt the leadership had stopped listening to them.
- venal
- heterogeneous
- grassroots
Show the answer
grassroots: The party's grassroots felt the leadership had stopped listening to them.