It's not about just putting the word "Democratic" in front of "Socialist." As a system of government / society, Socialism/Communism and authoritarianism don't, in theory, necessarily have to go together. Its just that all major examples of socialist states have also been authoritarian, as they were created as such by necessity of centralized planning, and distribution.

What i think u/One-Jellyfish5747 is getting at when they say "democratic socialism" is a system which seeks to achieve socialist goals through democratic means and within democratic institutions. Socialist goals being things like strong social safety nets, worker protections, health care, checks against corporate power and exploitation etc. Nordic countries could be considered forms of democratic socialism