Realpolitik
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Pragmatic, often expansionist, diplomacy and politics focused on perceived national interests of the state to the near exclusion of ethical, moral, and theoretical objectives. countable, uncountable
"It is Realpolitik in sport, and a Realpolitik which is not wholly unknown in England; but while the spirit of Realpolitik is still perceivable in German sport, it is equally perceivable that the standard English way of viewing sporting competition is becoming more and more approached in Germany."
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of realpolitik. alt-of, countable, uncountable
- 3 politics based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations wordnet
Synonyms
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More examples"It is Realpolitik in sport, and a Realpolitik which is not wholly unknown in England; but while the spirit of Realpolitik is still perceivable in German sport, it is equally perceivable that the standard English way of viewing sporting competition is becoming more and more approached in Germany."
Etymology
Borrowed from German Realpolitik (literally “practical, realistic, fact-based, realism-based politics”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.