political
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or concerned with politics.
political writers.
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of, relating to, or connected with a political party.
a political campaign.
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exercising or seeking power in the governmental or public affairs of a state, municipality, etc..
a political machine;
a political boss.
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of, relating to, or involving the state or its government.
a political offense.
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having a definite policy or system of government.
a political community.
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of or relating to citizens.
political rights.
adjective
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of or relating to the state, government, the body politic, public administration, policy-making, etc
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of, involved in, or relating to government policy-making as distinguished from administration or law
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of or relating to the civil aspects of government as distinguished from the military
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of, dealing with, or relating to politics
a political person
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of, characteristic of, or relating to the parties and the partisan aspects of politics
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organized or ordered with respect to government
a political unit
Other Word Forms
- antipolitical adjective
- antipolitically adverb
- nonpolitical adjective
- nonpolitically adverb
- overpolitical adjective
- overpolitically adverb
- politically adverb
- prepolitical adjective
- prepolitically adverb
- pseudopolitical adjective
- quasi-political adjective
- quasi-politically adverb
- subpolitical adjective
- subpolitically adverb
- unpolitical adjective
- unpolitically adverb
Etymology
Origin of political
First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin polītic(us) “civic” ( politic ) + -al 1
Explanation
Things that are political have to do with government, elections, and how society is run. Congress, state representatives, even county council members are all part of our political system. The Republicans and Democrats are the two main political parties in America — they support political candidates that run for office. The major things that politicians discuss, like balancing the budget, raising taxes, and immigration laws, are political issues. But if someone gets a promotion just because they're friends with the boss, you'd also say it was totally political. In other words, they got ahead because of their connections rather than their qualifications, just like a lot of politicians.
Vocabulary lists containing political
Nothing But the Truth
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Florida EOC Civics
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Herbert Hoover on "Rugged Individualism" (1928)
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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.
The Founders recognized early on that the economic, social and political vitality of the American nation was intertwined with the physical health of its citizens.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
Broad became one of LA.’s most influential civic leaders, using his multibillion-dollar fortune, political clout and forceful personality to spur advancements in the public sphere, particularly in the arts.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
In just six months, he has helped orchestrate the defection of five lawmakers—representing both the right and left of the political spectrum, from different parts of Canada—to his governing Liberal caucus.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
She said they were supposed to go to a political event and they went to get paperwork from his hotel room.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
The bond market, because it consisted mainly of big institutional investors, experienced no similarly populist political pressure.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
