apolitical

adjective

apo·​lit·​i·​cal ˌā-pə-ˈli-ti-kəl How to pronounce apolitical (audio)
1
: having no interest or involvement in political affairs
also : having an aversion to politics or political affairs
2
: having no political significance
apolitically adverb

Examples of apolitical in a Sentence

Although both of her parents are politicians, she's completely apolitical.
Recent Examples on the Web Crucially, Western vendors were apolitical and seemed unconcerned that their technologies were being used to undermine civil liberties. Foreign Affairs, 3 Nov. 2023 In avoiding the conflicts of the era, Payne also deflects conflicts of today: his blandly apolitical view of the early seventies seems almost designed not to trouble consciences or spark debates. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2023 Officially, both relentlessly self-define as apolitical. Rory Smith, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2023 Sloan shows how a court hardly apolitical and largely loyal to F.D.R. was nevertheless divided on the issues of the day. New York Times, 22 Sep. 2023 But in recent years, that relationship has, to some extent, broken down, because some of the hard-core faith groups have become, in some ways, apolitical. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2023 At worst, the girl is an apolitical neutralizer of direct action. Alex Quicho, WIRED, 11 Sep. 2023 Jeremy Tate, the founder of Classic Learning Initiatives, the company that developed the test, insisted that the CLT is apolitical. Dana Goldstein, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2023 And Washington, starring in his fifth Fuqua extravaganza, is also essentially apolitical, no matter how fervently his fans want to think his movies represent some concoction of ethnic and social principles. Armond White, National Review, 1 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'apolitical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of apolitical was in 1919

Dictionary Entries Near apolitical

Cite this Entry

“Apolitical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apolitical. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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