politician

plural politicians · alternative polititian

1. One engaged in politics, especially an elected or appointed government official.

   Politicians should serve the country's interest.

   2 more examples

   WHEN the mental growth of a man in public life ceases, he ought, for the sake of the community, to retire. Most of our mediocre or unsuccessful Presidents were slipping downhill mentally before they took office. Lincoln, Cleveland, Roosevelt, Wilson, and Coolidge broadened and strengthened as the years went by. By the same token, some men, unused to politics, become mere politicians when elevated to high office, while other men, brought up in the game of politics, rise superior to their environment.

   1928, Franklin D. Roosevelt, The Happy Warrior Alfred E. Smith, Houghton Mifflin, →OCLC, →OL, page 3

   It is not just politicians who find aspects of the explosion in satire unwelcome. Thanks to the internet, professional purveyors of the stuff face a lot more competition. For once, the joke is at their expense. A niche craft practised by a talented few has turned into a globally popular hobby, and what was once considered audacious commentary is now mainstream.

   2013 August 31, “The Satirical Verses”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8851

   Synonyms: politicker, pol, politico

2. Specifically, one who regards elected political office as a career.

   Unlike the other candidates, I'm not a politician.

   1 more example

   I never wanted to be one, and as far as I'm concerned, I'm not a politician now. Am I the best man for this job? Probably not. I am, however, the President of the United States, […]

   1996, Tom Clancy, Executive Orders, →ISBN, page 438

3. A politically active or interested person.

   Only real politicians are interested in this issue.

   1 more example

   You used to be such a politician. Do you remember the debates we held in Fitzroy's rooms?

   1863, “The Fountain Kloof”, in The Sunday at Home, page 211

4. A sly or ingratiating person.

   There is a politician in every office.

   1 more example

   Mrs. Dimitriou blushed at the compliment. "Antonios, you are such a politician," her husband chuckled.

   1969, David E. Sanford, My Village, My World, page 90