political
adjective
po·lit·i·cal
pə-ˈli-ti-kəl 
1
a
: of or relating to government, a government, or the conduct of government
b
: of, relating to, or concerned with the making as distinguished from the administration of governmental policy
2
: of, relating to, involving, or involved in politics and especially party politics
3
: organized in governmental terms
political units
4
: involving or charged or concerned with acts against a government or a political system
political prisoners
Examples of political in a Sentence
The senator has changed political parties.
Health care has become a major political issue in recent years.
a group of political activists
We need a political solution rather than a military solution.
Recent Examples on the Web
The director and Simpsons co-creator James L. Brooks (no relation) spent part of this past winter directing Albert in the forthcoming Ella McCay, a political comedy set in the recent past.
—
Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 29 Apr. 2024
The Brazilian art critic and political activist Mário Pedrosa wrote of the experience as a dialogue between form and perception.
—Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2024
Sánchez’s concessions to Catalan separatist parties in order to stay in power have dominated the political debate in Spain.
—Ciaran Giles, Fortune Europe, 29 Apr. 2024
In a country where corruption is widespread, and its leaders live with the comforts denied to most of the population, corruption charges against senior officials usually carry political motivations.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2024
Polls this past weekend confirmed that DeSantis is now the most popular political figure in the state — more so than Senator Rick Scott now running for reelection, more so than Senator Marco Rubio, more so than Donald J. Trump.
—Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 29 Apr. 2024
McKinsey has been facing political backlash in the US over its engagement with China and Saudi Arabia, and is still reeling from its past engagements with some of the world’s biggest opioid makers.
—Ambereen Choudhury, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2024
Failure to appreciate this difference leads pundits to regularly predict incumbents’ political doom, despite how often incumbent presidents have won reelection over the past 150 years, and despite the intrinsic power that incumbency appears to hold.
—John V. Kane, TIME, 29 Apr. 2024
Egypt and Israel have also worked together to blockade Gaza to contain Hamas, whose brand of militant political Islamism Egypt considers a threat.
—Emad Mekay, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2024
Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 29 Apr. 2024
The Brazilian art critic and political activist Mário Pedrosa wrote of the experience as a dialogue between form and perception.
—Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2024
Sánchez’s concessions to Catalan separatist parties in order to stay in power have dominated the political debate in Spain.
—Ciaran Giles, Fortune Europe, 29 Apr. 2024
In a country where corruption is widespread, and its leaders live with the comforts denied to most of the population, corruption charges against senior officials usually carry political motivations.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2024
Polls this past weekend confirmed that DeSantis is now the most popular political figure in the state — more so than Senator Rick Scott now running for reelection, more so than Senator Marco Rubio, more so than Donald J. Trump.
—Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 29 Apr. 2024
McKinsey has been facing political backlash in the US over its engagement with China and Saudi Arabia, and is still reeling from its past engagements with some of the world’s biggest opioid makers.
—Ambereen Choudhury, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2024
Failure to appreciate this difference leads pundits to regularly predict incumbents’ political doom, despite how often incumbent presidents have won reelection over the past 150 years, and despite the intrinsic power that incumbency appears to hold.
—John V. Kane, TIME, 29 Apr. 2024
Egypt and Israel have also worked together to blockade Gaza to contain Hamas, whose brand of militant political Islamism Egypt considers a threat.
—Emad Mekay, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'political.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near political
Cite this Entry
“Political.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/political. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
political
adjective
po·lit·i·cal
pə-ˈlit-i-kəl
1
: of or relating to a government or the conduct of government
2
: of or relating to politics
3
: organized in governmental terms
political units
4
: involving, concerned with, or accused of acts against a government or political system
political prisoners
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