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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
New legislation came into effect on September 1, after a long-running political debate and a final green light from the French parliament in June. Helen Massy-Beresford, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026 The White House bowling alley became a political flashpoint in 2014 when the General Services Administration proposed replacing the aging lanes during the Obama administration. Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026 The show’s noir movie aesthetics still serve its story of political ambition, where revenge is disguised as justice and greed hidden behind lofty lies of patriotism. Ophélie Surcouf, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026 During that time, Gibney suggests, Musk also had access to and potentially collected intimate data on tens of millions of Americans possibly even for later political use. Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for political

Word History

Etymology

politic or its source, Latin polīticus "of civil government, political" + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of political was in 1529

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Political.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/political. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Kids Definition

political

adjective
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster