apolitical

American  

[ey-puh-lit-i-kuhl] / ˌeɪ pəˈlɪt ɪ kəl /

adjective

1. not political; of no political significance.

   an apolitical organization.

2. not involved or interested in politics.

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apolitical British  

/ ˌeɪpəˈlɪtɪkəl /

adjective

1. politically neutral; without political attitudes, content, or bias

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Other Word Forms

• apolitically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of apolitical

First recorded in 1950–55; a- ⁶ + political

Explanation

If you don't care who's president, don't belong to a party, and don't care about political issues, you're apolitical: uninterested in politics. Lots of people are very interested in politics. People who vote, follow current events, and register with political parties are being political. On the other hand, some people don't care about such things: they are apolitical. Putting the a in front of political makes it mean "not political." If you're apolitical, you're either politically neutral or don't care about politics at all. Since politics can be very frustrating, it's natural that some people end up being apolitical.

Example Sentences

Apolitical people felt the need to make their opposition clear.

From Washington Post • Mar. 1, 2022

Apolitical films have won on 15 percent of their nominations, but political films have won on 19 percent of theirs.

From New York Times • Feb. 21, 2019

Apolitical, he has no ties to President Trump.

From Washington Times • Sep. 16, 2018

Apolitical: Sofia Coppola's The Beguiled, set in the Civil War South, is yet another context-free historical drama from the director.

From Slate • Jun. 20, 2017

Apolitical trend-mongers and, in the wake of Occupy, radical anarchists — presumably like the ones who resided at 13 Thames Street.

From Salon • May 12, 2013