politicize

verb

po·​lit·​i·​cize pə-ˈli-tə-ˌsīz 

politicized; politicizing

transitive verb

: to give a political tone or character to

an attempt to politicize the civil service

politicization

pə-ˌli-tə-sə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Examples of politicize in a Sentence

They have politicized the budget process.

Recent Examples on the Web

Critics have accused Freedom 250 of politicizing and profiting off the milestone, with congressional Democrats accusing it of wire fraud and other deceptive fundraising practices in a report published last month. — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 21 Aug. 2026

The Heritage Foundation has previously pushed for overhauling scientific funding in a way critics say will politicize research. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026

Antell has seen it before, as past corporate consolidation has reduced and politicized access to archival news footage. — Addie Morfoot, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2026

While her successor, Markwayne Mullin, has worked to reverse some of the upheaval, Democrats are accusing Trump of politicizing disaster relief. — Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

politic or politic(s) + -ize

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for politicize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize