realpolitik

noun

re·​al·​po·​li·​tik rā-ˈäl-ˌpō-li-ˌtēk How to pronounce realpolitik (audio)
often capitalized
: politics based on practical and material factors rather than on theoretical or ethical objectives

Examples of realpolitik in a Sentence

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.
In an age of runaway AI, Palantir’s blend of realpolitik and moral restraint may be less of an anomaly and more of a preview. Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025 If Biden’s decision to visit Saudi Arabia confirms that realpolitik has won out, can the human rights consequences of the visit be somewhat, if inadequately, mitigated? Agnès Callamard, Foreign Affairs, 13 July 2022 That, more or less, with the realpolitik again left unspoken, has been the position that Washington has maintained to date over Russia’s occupation of Crimea. The Editors, National Review, 24 Apr. 2025 With the return of realpolitik, the Trump Administration may yet find ways to access D.R.C.’s minerals, just not in a way that Tshisekedi might want. Nicolas Niarchos, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for realpolitik

Word History

Etymology

German, from real actual + Politik politics

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of realpolitik was in 1895

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Cite this Entry

“Realpolitik.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/realpolitik. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

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