politics

noun

pol·​i·​tics ˈpä-lə-ˌtiks 

plural in form but singular or plural in construction

1

a

: the art or science of government

b

: the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy

c

: the art or science concerned with winning and holding control over a government

2

: political actions, practices, or policies

3

a

: political affairs or business

especially : competition between competing interest groups or individuals for power and leadership (as in a government)

b

: political life especially as a principal activity or profession

c

: political activities characterized by artful and often dishonest practices

4

: the political opinions or sympathies of a person

5

a

: the total complex of relations between people living in society

b

: relations or conduct in a particular area of experience especially as seen or dealt with from a political point of view

office politics

ethnic politics

Did you know?

Playing Politics

Politics is a multifaceted word. It has a set of fairly specific meanings that are descriptive and nonjudgmental (such as “the art or science of government” and "political principles"), but it can and often does carry a negative meaning closely related to these (“political activities characterized by artful and often dishonest practices”). English is a flexible language, and it is not uncommon for a word to have multiple related meanings that run the connotative gamut from good to bad. Some of these have been around for a surprisingly long time. The negative sense of politics, as seen in the phrase play politics, for example, has been in use since at least 1853, when abolitionist Wendell Phillips declared: “We do not play politics; anti-slavery is no half-jest with us.”

Examples of politics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Our data is optimistic, but the politics is uncertain. —James Morton Turner, Discover Magazine, 9 Nov. 2024

Where do political prognosticators land on Lake vs. Gallego? Real Clear Politics, a politics website, gives Gallego a 3.9 percentage point advantage in its final average of polls at the end of the race. —Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024

Them’s news and politics newsletter, delivered to your inbox every Thursday. —Abby Monteil, Them, 5 Nov. 2024

By Philip Elliott November 5, 2024 7:51 AM EST This article is part of The D.C. Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English Polletiques, Polytykys, as title of Aristotle's Politics, from politik "of spiritual or secular governance, political" + -iques, -ykys -ics, after Middle French politiques, polliticques and Medieval Latin polītica, after Greek tà politiká "public matters, civic affairs," from neuter plural of politikós "of citizens, civic, of a state, political, public" — more at politic

First Known Use

circa 1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing politics

• anti-politics
• enter politics
• go into politics
• identity politics
• office politics
• party politics
• play politics
• power politics

Kids Definition

politics

singular or plural noun

pol·​i·​tics ˈpäl-ə-ˌtiks 

1

a

: political science

b

: the art of guiding or influencing governmental policy

c

: the art of winning and holding control over a government

2

: political affairs or business

especially : competition between groups or individuals for power and leadership

3

: political opinions