realpolitik
noun
re·al·po·li·tik
rā-ˈäl-ˌpō-li-ˌtēk 
often capitalized
: politics based on practical and material factors rather than on theoretical or ethical objectives
Examples of realpolitik in a Sentence
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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
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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
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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