ENGLISH
REFERENCE

politically

adv. sent.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈpɫɪtɪkɫi// UK //pəlˈɪtɪkli// po·lit·i·cal·ly

adv. in a way that relates to the government, laws, or how power is used in a country. You use this to describe actions or ideas connected to political parties and public life.

adv. in a manner relating to the government, public policy, or the distribution of power within a state. Often functions as a sentence-modifying adverb to narrow the scope of an evaluation.


SIMPLE

The two countries are politically very different.

CONTEXTUAL

The mayor's decision was politically motivated to gain support before the upcoming election.

COMPLEX

While the proposal was economically sound, it proved to be politically impossible to implement given the strong opposition from local community leaders.

Origin

From political + -ly.

Usage

Commonly used as a viewpoint adverb at the start of a sentence or to modify an adjective like 'active' or 'correct'.

Pitfall

He is a politically personHe is a political personLearners often use the adverb 'politically' where the adjective 'political' is required to modify a noun directly.

Idioms1 entry

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