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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Kissinger's realpolitik may have had its flaws—often ruthless and always morally ambiguous— but it was grounded in a coherent understanding of power and diplomacy.
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Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
But the leader says one of the biggest reasons to swing to Trump is simple realpolitik.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2025
Instead, their rivalry is partly a function of their two leaders’ mutual animosity and partly the inevitable result of realpolitik.
—James Jeffrey, Foreign Affairs, 4 July 2025
Trump is showing what happens when realpolitik is reduced to mere transactionalism—and where spectacle outweighs strategy.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
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Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
But the leader says one of the biggest reasons to swing to Trump is simple realpolitik.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2025
Instead, their rivalry is partly a function of their two leaders’ mutual animosity and partly the inevitable result of realpolitik.
—James Jeffrey, Foreign Affairs, 4 July 2025
Trump is showing what happens when realpolitik is reduced to mere transactionalism—and where spectacle outweighs strategy.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 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 22 Aug. 2025.
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