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apolitical

apolitical

12 5.9
Not involved in government or public issues and not supporting any party
  • adjective
  • /ˌeɪpəˈlɪtɪkəl/
translation icon : apolítico
  • Despite living in a politically charged environment, he remains apolitical and uninterested in current events.
  • apolitical stance
  • apolitical nature
  • apolitical discourse

And that point of view can be political, it can be apolitical, it can be philosophical.

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Examples

  • The point is: good central banking is apolitical, and the more apolitical, the better.

    Academic text (1996)
  • "The Fed does not always make the right call, but its criteria are clearly apolitical.

    Academic text (1997)
  • I mean, I was still pretty apolitical, but had started to have some important questions and and experiences.

  • And together they could kind of produce an America that seemed both apolitical and political at the same time.

  • The military here is the most apolitical bunch of people I have ever met.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Wanted to use the Earth as an apolitical zone for creatures without a planet.

  • Can scientists working on military technology be apolitical, or are they responsible for their creations?

  • Freedom, in a fundamental, apolitical, and non-ideological sense, is his basic theme.

    Academic text (1993)
  • History has made them more anxious by making them more aware of their isolated or apolitical individuality.

    Academic text (1992)
  • And so minimalism is apolitical, and that's the good news.

Synonyms

neutral
vsapolitical
218 3.6

Not supporting either side in a conflict

means lack of interest or affiliation rather than merely taking no side
unaffiliated
vsapolitical
15 6.6

Not officially connected to any group or organization

adds that the person also shows no political interest or opinions
nonpolitical
vsapolitical
4 3.6

Not about government or public life

focuses on personal lack of interest or affiliation rather than topic separation
unpolitical
vsapolitical
1 6.1

Not interested in government or public life

is the same meaning but expressed with a different word form
unaligned
vsapolitical
1 5.5

Not connected with or supporting any political group

is more about personal disengagement and lack of political opinions
nonpartizan
vsapolitical
  • US
6.8

Not supporting or connected to any political party

emphasizes personal lack of interest and absence of political opinions
partyless
vsapolitical
5.8

Not a member of any political party

covers that case but also includes lack of political interest or opinion
nonparty
vsapolitical
5.6

Not a member of any political party

is broader, covering both lack of party ties and of political interest

Antonyms

2.9

About government and public issues that affect people

How Political

partisan
363 6.7
political
2.9
neutral
218 3.6
apolitical
12 5.9

Surface Forms

apolitical positive

Morphology

apolitical = political (semi-transparent) = a + politic + al

The meaning is directly 'not political', but the negative prefix 'a-' is less familiar and less productive for many learners than 'un-' or 'non-'.

Etymology

The word apolitical starts with the little prefix a-, which means 'not' or 'without', and ends with political, from politics meaning 'matters of government'. So, someone or something apolitical is 'not connected with politics' or not interested in political matters.