political science

noun

: a social science concerned chiefly with the description and analysis of political and especially governmental institutions and processes

political scientist noun

Examples of political science in a Sentence

a degree in political science

Recent Examples on the Web

Alex Coppock, an associate professor of political science at Northwestern University who has researched the impact of digital advertising on voter turnout, said the ad likely reached more voters than others. — Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Nov. 2026

Matt Harris, a political science professor at Park University, pointed to mid-decade redistricting as an issue that lawmakers are unlikely to touch in the immediate future. — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 12 Nov. 2026

The oil extraction process in this region generates a lot of greenhouse gas emissions, says Paasha Mahdavi, a political science professor at UC Santa Barbara who studies the oil industry. — Julia Simon, NPR, 11 Nov. 2026

El Papa y El Niño El Niño is expected to bring intense rainfall through March 2027 to cities along the Pacific coast, said Alonso Cárdenas, a political science professor at the Antonio Ruiz de Montoya University. — Luis Andres Henao, Chicago Tribune, 11 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for political science

• appliance
• compliance
• defiance
• reliance
• geoscience
• neuroscience
• noncompliance
• pseudoscience

Kids Definition

political science

noun

: the study of government and politics

political scientist noun