power politics
Americannoun
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political action characterized by the exercise or pursuit of power as a means of coercion.
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international diplomacy based on the use or threatened use of military or economic power.
noun
Etymology
Origin of power politics
First recorded in 1935–40
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.
His low-key approach, say some papal observers, has made it harder for him to make himself heard in a wider world that’s being shaken up by populism, strongman leaders and raw power politics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 21, 2026
They’re not privy to the power politics of Manhattan after parties.
From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2026
Subianto bristles at international criticism over human rights and other topics, but he’s expected to keep the country’s pragmatic approach to power politics.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2024
She paid a final visit to Moscow in August 2021, and told the German news magazine that "the feeling was very clear: 'In terms of power politics you're finished'."
From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2022
Masters of power politics, engineers of genius, the Mexica were also upstarts and pretenders, arrivistes who falsely claimed a brilliant line of descent.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
