Politics is a multifaceted word. It has a set of fairly specific meanings that are descriptive and nonjudgmental (such as “the art or science of government” and "political principles"), but it can and often does carry a negative meaning closely related to these (“political activities characterized by artful and often dishonest practices”). English is a flexible language, and it is not uncommon for a word to have multiple related meanings that run the connotative gamut from good to bad. Some of these have been around for a surprisingly long time. The negative sense of politics, as seen in the phrase play politics, for example, has been in use since at least 1853, when abolitionist Wendell Phillips declared: “We do not play politics; anti-slavery is no half-jest with us.”
Examples of politics in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Harris credits her mother, who died in 2009, as one of her most important influences in her life who, along with others, inspired her to go into politics.
— Joshua Berlinger, CNN, "How Kamala Harris' Indian relatives helped shape her views on civil rights and civic duty," 12 Aug. 2020
The former senator and attorney general retired from politics in 2015 after two terms as California state treasurer.
— Jeff Mcdonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Campaign fund-raising all but flat for state insurance commissioner," 10 Aug. 2020