power politics

noun

plural in form but singular or plural in construction

: politics based primarily on the use of power (such as military and economic strength) as a coercive force rather than on ethical precepts

Examples of power politics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Ukraine Factor The U.S. decision to vote with Russia against a United Nations bill on the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine this week also came as a wake-up call that global power politics had changed more profoundly than since the end of World War II. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025

Regardless of the ultimate verdict, jurors in the Madigan trial saw irrevocable proof of Springfield’s messy overlap of money, special interests, power politics and extraordinarily cozy relationships between lawmakers and lobbyists. —Ray Long, Chicago Tribune, 12 Feb. 2025

The United States could also fail at naked power politics simply because China and Russia may be better at it. —Ivo H. Daalder, Foreign Affairs, 30 Jan. 2025

Together, these conversations offer a window into how global leaders are approaching a period of potential turmoil—and provide an unvarnished guide to power politics in an era of American disruption. —Foreign Affairs, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for power politics

• biopolitics
• bolsheviks
• candlesticks
• crucifix
• intermix
• lunatics
• mensheviks
• orthotics
• politicks
• bricks
• brix
• chicks