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politic

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politic¹

  • /ˈpɒl.ɪ.tɪk/ UK
  • /ˈpɒl.ə.tɪk/ UK
  • /ˈpɑ.lɪ.tɪk/ US, dialectal
  • /ˈpɑ.lə.tɪk/ US, dialectal
  • /ˈpɒl.ɪ.tɪk/ Canada, dialectal
  • /ˈpɒl.ə.tɪk/ Canada, dialectal
  • /ˈpɔl.ə.tɪk/ Australia
  • /ˈpɒl.ə.tək/ New Zealand
  • [ˈpɔ̟l.ə.tək] New Zealand

Where it comes from

From Middle French politique, from Latin polīticus, from Ancient Greek πολιτικός (politikós), from πολίτης (polítēs, “citizen”). Cognate with German politisch (“political”). Doublet of politico.

adjective more politic · most politic · politick

  1. archaic Of or relating to polity, or civil government; political. the body politic
  2. archaic, of things Relating to, or promoting, a policy, especially a national policy; well-devised; adapted to its end, whether right or wrong. a politic treaty
  3. archaic Sagacious in promoting a policy; ingenious in devising and advancing a system of management; devoted to a scheme or system rather than to a principle; hence, in a good sense, wise; prudent; sagacious I have been politic with my friend, smooth with mine enemy
  4. Shrewd, prudent and expedient; showing policy. But as he headed for the front of the line one of his minders whispered that it might be politic to go to the back.
  5. Discreet and diplomatic. A unanimous exclamation called upon Evelyn himself to speak; and, after a minute's politic pause, he went on to state his plan.
  6. Artful, crafty or cunning.

Opposite: impolitic

noun politics · politick

  1. archaic A politician. to speake truly of politikes & Statesmen
  2. A politics; a set of political beliefs. While the stories and lives on the screen are alternately moving and funny, an unspoken question arises: does similar experience always lead to a coherent politic?

politic²

  • /ˈpɒl.ɪ.tɪk/ UK
  • /ˈpɒl.ə.tɪk/ UK
  • /ˈpɑ.lɪ.tɪk/ US, dialectal
  • /ˈpɑ.lə.tɪk/ US, dialectal
  • /ˈpɒl.ɪ.tɪk/ Canada, dialectal
  • /ˈpɒl.ə.tɪk/ Canada, dialectal
  • /ˈpɔl.ə.tɪk/ Australia
  • /ˈpɒl.ə.tək/ New Zealand
  • [ˈpɔ̟l.ə.tək] New Zealand

Where it comes from

Back-formation from politicking.

verb politics · politicking · politicked · politick

  1. alternative Alternative spelling of politick That why you turned the Kanuyaq Land Trust into the IRS for using donations to politic instead of to buy land?

Thesaurus

adjective

Opposite: impolitic

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"politic." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/politic. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

politic. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/politic

Chicago

"politic." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/politic.

BibTeX
@misc{politic_2026,
  title = {politic},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/politic},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}