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homo politicus

homo politicus

9.9
A person who is active in politics and supports social causes
  • noun
  • /ˈhoʊmoʊ pəˈlɪtɪkəs/
  • Jargon
translation icon : homo politicus
  • Despite his career in engineering, Mark is known as a homo politicus who never shies away from debate.

Examples

  • As a homo politicus, she dedicates her life to community service.

  • To be a homo politicus in today's world requires resilience and commitment.

  • Many protesters at the rally identified themselves as homo politicus, fighting for social justice.

  • Many homo politici believe in the power of grassroots movements.

  • Many protesters at the rally identified themselves as homo politicus, fighting for social justice.

  • To be a homo politicus in today's world requires resilience and commitment.

  • As a homo politicus, she dedicates her life to community service.

Synonyms

politician
vshomo politicus
2.9

A person who works in government or politics, often as an elected leader

is more about deep active engagement and public advocacy than formal office
activist
vshomo politicus
542 2.5

A person who campaigns for political or social change

is deeply involved in politics and often advocates for public issues
politico
vshomo politicus
  • Literature
56 7.7

An informal word for someone who works to gain or hold public office

uses a more neutral and serious tone rather than a casual label
pol
vshomo politicus
  • Informal
21 9.1

An informal word for a person who works to get and hold public office

is involved in wider political life and public issue advocacy
career politician
vshomo politicus
11 3.8

A person who spends most of their life working in government as their main job

is focused on active public advocacy and involvement rather than career status

How Political

homo politicus
  • Jargon
9.9
activist
6 3.7
nonvoter
1 4.1
apolitical
12 5.9

Surface Forms

homo politicus singular
homo politici plural

Morphology

Homo + politicus

The phrase is compositionally built from Latin roots: 'homo' (human) + 'politicus' (political), so the intended meaning 'a politically engaged person' can be derived if a learner recognises those roots. However, the second element is a Latin form rather than ordinary English and the expression is scholarly/technical (cf. homo economicus), so an average B1 learner—even knowing the parts—may not reliably map it to the precise sense without prior exposure.

Etymology

Homo politicus comes from Latin words homo ('man') and politicus ('political') and paints a picture of someone who lives in the public square, always speaking and acting in public life. So it now means 'a person who is actively involved in politics'.