political theory
Americannoun
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any theory concerning how political power is acquired and used in government, either generally or within a particular ideology.
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the branch of political science dealing with such theories.
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Trump also responded to a comment by Xi referring to the "Thucydides Trap," a political theory that war becomes more likely when a rising new power competes with an established great power.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
"We recommended to the government that they needed some new data," says Dr Helen McCabe, associate professor of political theory at the University of Nottingham.
From BBC • Dec. 2, 2025
This is the sort of observation that makes Ms. Ypi, a professor of political theory at the London School of Economics, unpopular with many present-day Albanians.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025
I base this not on any grand political theory but on how many times I stood next to members of Congress at urinals at DCA during my years living in D.C.
From Slate • Nov. 7, 2025
This would be known in political theory as well as in practical government as nothing short of anarchy.
From Oriental Women by Pollard, Edward Bagby
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
