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political theory

American  
[puh-lit-ik-uhl theer-ee] / pəˈlɪt ɪk əl ˈθɪər i /

noun

political theories plural
  1. any theory concerning how political power is acquired and used in government, either generally or within a particular ideology.

  2. the branch of political science dealing with such theories.


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Example Sentences

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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

An LLM is trained on the sum of human written knowledge: philosophy, history, science, political theory.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 13, 2026

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

Weinstein also holds a doctorate in government from Harvard University and has taught political theory at Georgetown University and Claremont McKenna College.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 8, 2025

When and where the growing point of law has been in legislation, a political theory of law as the command of the sovereign has prevailed.

From An Introduction to the Philosophy of Law by Pound, Roscoe

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