poˈlitically, adv.
[f. political a. (n.) + -ly2.]
† 1. In a politic manner; = politicly. Obs.
| 1588 Exhort. Her Majesty's Faithf. Subj. in Harl. Misc. (Malh.) II. 95 The general musters, and training up of men, most prudently and politically commanded. 1764 Goldsm. Hist. Eng. in Lett. (1772) I. 226 Henry politically pretended the utmost submission to the pope's decrees. 1796 Burney Mem. Metastasio II. 348 The protest..was only made politically, in order to deprecate my vengeance. |
2. a. In a political manner; in respect of politics; from a political point of view.
| a 1638 Mede Daniels Weeks xxvii. Wks. (1672) 707 They should serve them not religiously, but politically, inasmuch as they were to become Slaves and Vassals to Idolatrous Nations. 1750 Chesterfield Let. to Son 19 Mar., Never lose view of..the political affairs of Europe. Follow them politically, chronologically, and geographically, through the newspapers. 1841 Miall in Nonconf. I. 1 A national establishment of religion is essentially vicious in its constitution—philosophically, politically and religiously. 1868 Freeman Norm. Conq. II. vii. 91 That part of the old Danish realm..which is now politically part of Sweden. |
† b. As an organized state.
Obs.| 1779–81 Johnson L.P., Pope Wks. IV. 73 Society, politically regulated, is a state contra-distinguished from a state of nature. |
3. Comb., as
politically-active,
politically-inclined,
politically-minded,
politically-motivated adjs.| 1974 Disturbances Univ. of Essex: Rep. Annan Enquiry 17 Students protested that politically active ringleaders were singled out. |
| 1969 J. Mander Static Soc. iii. 95 Enough for the politically-inclined tourist. |
| 1907 Westm. Gaz. 11 Dec. 2/1 The politically-minded stay-at-home citizen. 1973 W. J. Burley Death in Salubrious Place iv. 73 The suave, politically-minded Bellings. |
| 1972 Listener 21 Dec. 854/2 A rising level of politically-motivated violence. 1975 Ibid. 21 Aug. 233/2 We are not dealing with..an irresponsible, politically-motivated organisation in trade unions. |
So
poˈliticalness.
rare.
| 1678 Cudworth Intell. Syst. i. v. 890 Not so much as any the least seeds, either of Politicalness, or Ethicalness at all in it. 1727 Bailey vol. II, Politicalness, political quality. 1935 Discovery May 128/2 Notwithstanding all his politicalness and his zest for the letters and society..it is in the campaigns and battles that Mr Trevelyan is happiest. |
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Add:
[3.] b. Special Comb. politically correct adj. phr., (
a) [not as a fixed collocation in early use] appropriate to the prevailing political or social circumstances.
| 1793 J. Wilson in U.S. Rep. II. (1798) 462 The states, rather than the people, for whose sake the states exist, are frequently the objects which attract and arrest our principal attention... Sentiments and expressions of this inaccurate kind prevail in our common, even in our convivial, language... ‘The United States’, instead of the ‘People of the United States’, is the toast given. This is not *politically correct. 1936 H. V. Morton In Steps of St. Paul vi. 211 It has often been asked why Paul addressed his converts as ‘Galatians’. But is there any other word that could have described so mixed a crowd?.. ‘Galatians’, a term that was politically correct, embraced everyone under Roman rule. 1955 tr. C. Milosz Captive Mind 120 A politically correct theme would not have saved him from the critics' attack had they wanted to apply orthodox criteria, because he described the concentration camp as he personally had seen it, not as one was supposed to see it. 1979 Economist 6 Jan. 17/2 His judgement that the time and place called for an attack on the quality and efficiency of the municipal government proved to be politically correct. |
(
b) From the early 1970s,
spec. conforming to a body of liberal or radical opinion,
esp. on social matters, characterized by the advocacy of approved causes or views, and often by the rejection of language, behaviour, etc., considered discriminatory or offensive; also
absol. See *
correct a. 4. (
orig. U.S., sometimes
dismissive).
| 1970 T. Cade Black Woman 73 A man cannot be politically correct and a chauvinist too. 1975 P. Gerber Willa Cather vi. 158 If a literary thesis were unmistakable and politically correct, a favorable reception for the work was assured. 1975 Facts on File 31 Dec. 1012/3 On the lesbian issue, she said NOW was moving in the ‘intellectually and politically correct direction’. 1978 National Jrnl. (U.S.) 7 Jan. 29 Circle the politically correct response(s), if any. 1984 Women's Stud. Internat. Forum VII. 323/1 The deformed sexuality of patriarchal culture must be moved..into an arena for struggle, where a ‘politically correct’ sexuality of mutual respect will contend with an ‘incorrect’ sexuality of domination and submission. 1987 Nation 6 June 769/3 Some readers are going to be disappointed by Poirier's insistent effort to keep literature from becoming a weapon—he would say casualty—of the politically correct or incorrect. 1991 Village Voice (N.Y) 3 Dec. 30/3 I've been chided by a reader for using the word gringos and informed that European American is politically correct. 1993 Utne Reader Jan.–Feb. 152/1 Killing mosquitoes, black flies, midges, and other summer pests is known to politically correct people as ‘speciesism’. Who can say that humans are more valuable than other creatures? |
politically incorrect, not politically correct; illiberal; discriminatory.
| 1947 V. Nabokov Bend Sinister 168 A person who has never belonged to a Masonic Lodge or to a fraternity, club, union, or the like, is an abnormal and dangerous person... It is better for a man to have belonged to a *politically incorrect organization than not to have belonged to any organization at all. 1977 Washington Post 29 May d2/3 The African Liberation Day Coalition explained that both the other groups held politically incorrect positions. 1986 J. Stacey in Mitchell and Oakley What is Feminism? 230 Within the [feminist] movement, heterosexuality..has been considered ‘politically incorrect’. 1994 Esquire Feb. 88/1 [He] may be shedding his image as an extremist, dropping his tendency to use paranoid, espionage lingo, trying not to make politically incorrect remarks about homosexuals. |