adjective
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artful or shrewd; ingenious
a politic manager
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crafty or unscrupulous; cunning
a politic old scoundrel
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sagacious, wise, or prudent, esp in statesmanship
a politic choice
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an archaic word for political
Related Words
See diplomatic.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of politic
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English politik, from Middle French politique, from Latin polīticus, from Greek polītikós “civic,” from polī́t(ēs) “citizen” ( see polity) + -ikos -ic
Explanation
If you are politic, you are smooth and diplomatic. You'd probably make a good politician. Being politic is being polite and agreeable. Screaming and yelling is not politic. Speaking quietly, making apologies, and giving compliments are all politic things to do. When you want something, being politic is the way to go. It can definitely help to remember that politicians are good at getting what they want — they are shrewd and very politic.
Vocabulary lists containing politic
Grade 9, List 4
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The Mayflower Compact (1620)
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Much Ado About Nothing
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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.
Many executives also cultivate friendships with elected officials to have "privileged channels" with public administrations, said Charles Thibout, a politic science professor at the Sciences Po Strasbourg university in eastern France.
From Barron's • Apr. 25, 2026
Those insults are fed intravenously and instantaneously into the body politic due to our interconnectivity.
From Salon • Feb. 6, 2026
It was the most extreme expression of a wound to the body politic that has been allowed to fester.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 14, 2025
For example, the Vietnam War wound down and no longer was this gaping wound on the body politic.
From Slate • Sep. 12, 2025
Or if one wished to think biologically rather than architecturally, the body politic had yet to develop its immunities to the political diseases afflicting all new nations.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
