Constituency
kuhn-STICH-oo-uhn-see
/kənˈstɪtʃ.u.ən.si/
A body of voters in a specified area who elect a representative to a legislative body; or a core group of supporters.
Refers both geographically to electoral districts and metaphorically to any key group an organization serves.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'constituer' (to establish together). In English legal tradition, a constituency is the established political body that gives authority to an elected representative.
Word relationships
- electorate: Electorate refers to the entire voting public, whereas constituency focuses on a specific voting group.
- base: Base refers to loyal partisan voters, while constituency includes all residents in a district.
- out-of-district voters: Refers to citizens outside a representative's legal jurisdiction.
Commonly confused with
- constituent: A constituent is an individual voter, while constituency is the collective body of voters.
Word family
- constituent (noun): A voting member of a community.
- constitute (verb): To combine to form a whole.
Collocations
- electoral constituency
- core constituency
- serve a constituency
- constituency work
Idioms & expressions
- play to the base
- home turf
Example sentences
- "The lawmaker returned to her home constituency to hear local concerns about infrastructure spending." Electoral politics
- "The university president addressed her core constituency of faculty, students, and alumni." Organizational management
Memory hook
CONSTITUENTS CONSTITUTE (make up) the constituency. The voters who set up a representative's power.
When not to use
Do not use to describe random bystanders who have no stake in a decision.
Fun facts
- In British English, a constituency is both the group of voters and the geographic electoral district itself.
Related words
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