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
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antipoliticaladjective
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nonpoliticaladjective
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overpoliticaladjective
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prepoliticaladjective
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pseudopoliticaladjective
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quasi-politicaladjective
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subpoliticaladjective
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unpoliticaladjective
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antipoliticallyadverb
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nonpoliticallyadverb
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overpoliticallyadverb
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politicallyadverb
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prepoliticallyadverb
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quasi-politicallyadverb
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subpoliticallyadverb
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unpoliticallyadverb
Etymology
Origin of political
First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin polītic(us) “civic” ( see 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 head of the CDU in the northern city-state of Bremen, Heiko Strohmann, told Merz in a recent party meeting that he "was running a political party, not a business".
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
The poll found that 14% of voters of all political stripes remain unsure about their pick.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
Foreigners are pulling back real-estate purchases in America amid an ongoing shortage of homes for sale, affordability challenges and an uncertain political climate.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
It exploded onto the national political scene after Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ first 2016 presidential campaign.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Dasch watched from afar as Hitler established a one-party state and banned all other political parties.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
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.
