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

In: Justin Trudeau Tariffs Donald Trump Kathryn Watson Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C. —Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2024

Them's news and politics newsletter, delivered to your inbox every Thursday. —Abby Monteil, Them, 9 Dec. 2024

By Philip Elliott December 6, 2024 6:09 PM EST This article is part of The D.C. Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 6 Dec. 2024

Reach The Courier Journal's politics team at [e-mail]. —Hannah Pinski, The Courier-Journal, 6 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