noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/ɹeɪˈɑːlpɒlɪˌtiːk/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/ɹeɪˈɑlpoʊlɪˌtik/
US:/ɹiˈɑlpoʊlɪˌtik/
US:/ˈɹi.əlˌpɑ.lɪˌtɪk/
rhymes with -iːk
CMU ARPABET:R IY2 L P AO2 L IH0 T IH1 K
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Pragmatic, often expansionist, diplomacy and politics focused on perceived national interests of the state to the near exclusion of ethical, moral, and theoretical objectives.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: government, politics
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: pragmatism, realism
2
noun
Meaning 2
Alternative letter-case form of realpolitik.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: alt-of, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
politics based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: practical politics
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: politics, political science, government
History
Etymology
Borrowed from German Realpolitik (literally “practical, realistic, fact-based, realism-based politics”).
Across languages
Translations
34 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
وَاقِعِيَّة سِيَاسِيَّة
— pragmatic international government policy
Belarusian:
рэа́льная палі́тыка
(reálʹnaja palítyka)
— pragmatic international government policy
Chinese Mandarin:
現實政治 /现实政治
(xiànshí zhèngzhì)
— pragmatic international government policy
Danish:
realpolitik
— pragmatic international government policy
Dutch:
realpolitik
— pragmatic international government policy
Esperanto:
realecpolitiko
— pragmatic international government policy
Estonian:
reaalpoliitika
— pragmatic international government policy
Finnish:
reaalipolitiikka
— pragmatic international government policy
French:
realpolitik
— pragmatic international government policy
French:
réalpolitik
— pragmatic international government policy
French:
réalpolitique
— pragmatic international government policy
French:
réal-politique
— pragmatic international government policy
German:
Realpolitik
— pragmatic international government policy
Greek:
ρεαλπολιτίκ
(realpolitík)
— pragmatic international government policy
Icelandic:
raunsæisstjórnmál
— pragmatic international government policy
Icelandic:
raunsæispólitík
— pragmatic international government policy
Indonesian:
realpolitik
— pragmatic international government policy
Italian:
Realpolitik
— pragmatic international government policy
Japanese:
現実政治
(genjitsu seiji)
— pragmatic international government policy
Japanese:
レアルポリティーク
(rearuporitīku)
— pragmatic international government policy
Korean:
현실정치
(hyeonsiljeongchi)
— pragmatic international government policy
Northern Kurdish:
siyaseta reel
— pragmatic international government policy
Norwegian Bokmål:
realpolitikk
— pragmatic international government policy
Persian:
سیاست واقعی
(siyâsat vâqe'i)
— pragmatic international government policy
Persian:
واقعگرایانه
(vâqe'-garâyâne)
— pragmatic international government policy
Polish:
Realpolitik
— pragmatic international government policy
Russian:
реа́льная поли́тика
(reálʹnaja polítika)
— pragmatic international government policy
Russian:
реалполити́к
(realpolitík)
— pragmatic international government policy
Spanish:
realpolitik
— pragmatic international government policy
Swedish:
realpolitik
— pragmatic international government policy
Tamil:
மெய் அரசியல்சார்
(mey araciyalcār)
— pragmatic international government policy
Thai:
การเมืองเชิงปฏิบัติ
(gaan-mʉʉang-chəəng-bpà-dtì-bàt)
— pragmatic international government policy
Thai:
เรอาลโพลิทีค
(ree-aal-poo-li-tiik)
— pragmatic international government policy
Ukrainian:
реа́льна полі́тика
(reálʹna polítyka)
— pragmatic international government policy
