marked by artful prudence, expedience, and shrewdness
<adj.all> it is neither polite nor politic to get into other people's quarrels a politic decision a politic manager a politic old scoundrel a shrewd and politic reply
smoothly agreeable and courteous with a degree of sophistication
<adj.all> he was too politic to quarrel with so important a personage the manager pacified the customer with a smooth apology for the error
Politic \Pol"i*tic\, a. [L. politicus political, Gr. ? belonging to the citizens or to the state, fr.? citizen: cf. F. politique. See {Police}, and cf. {ePolitical}.] 1. Of or pertaining to polity, or civil government; political; as, the body politic. See under {Body}.
He with his people made all but one politic body. --Sir P. Sidney.
2. Pertaining to, or promoting, a policy, especially a national policy; well-devised; adapted to its end, whether right or wrong; -- said of things; as, a politic treaty. ``Enrich'd with politic grave counsel.'' --Shak.
3. Sagacious in promoting a policy; ingenious in devising and advancing a system of management; devoted to a scheme or system rather than to a principle; hence, in a good sense, wise; prudent; sagacious; and in a bad sense, artful; unscrupulous; cunning; -- said of persons.
Politic with my friend, smooth with mine enemy. --Shak.
Politic \Pol`i*tic\, n. A politician. [Archaic] --Bacon.
Swiftly the politic goes; is it dark? he borrows a lantern; Slowly the statesman and sure, guiding his feet by the stars. --Lowell.
The Royal Commission on Criminal Justice will no doubt heed his words, but because realistically the body politic will not countenance the abolition of trial by jury, it is hard to see how criminal justice can cope.
Cancers in the body politic - even in the smallest community - disfigure and threaten the whole.
Inflation is taxation by stealth, a fraud on the body politic.
Yesterday, Loye Miller, chief spokesman for Mr. Thornburgh, said Mr. Thornburgh "was a politic man then, as he is now" and didn't feel it necessary at the time to criticize the group.
It is remembered less as a bracing bath for the body politic than as a wearying excess.
"It's unconscionable to politic on the island at this time," said Ms. Bunch, who had not filed for re-election Monday.
They dread being asked to administer new doses of 'federalism' to a British body politic which is clearly allergic to them, especially if (as is likely) the conference coincides with the next general election campaign.
We have the opportunity to experiment, perhaps to take some risks without committing the whole body politic to a particular course of action. It may well prove better to organise the provision of health, education or housing services in a new way.
Poor-boy-style corruption corrodes the body politic and the civic soul.