politicking
politicking Lexical Profile
politicking Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The activity of campaigning, maneuvering, or engaging in intrigue to gain political support, personal advantage, or influence within an organization or government.
"The committee's progress was delayed by weeks of petty politicking among the board members."
• verb
To engage in political campaigning, lobbying, or self-serving intrigue in order to gain influence or power (present participle of politic).
"Instead of focusing on policy reform, the candidates spent the entire autumn politicking across the state."
Word Nuance & Usage
Notice that a 'k' is inserted before '-ing' ('politicking') to preserve the hard 'k' sound of 'politic', following the same spelling rule as 'panicking' and 'mimicking'.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the early 20th century from the verb 'politic' (originally derived via Old French and Latin from Ancient Greek 'politikos', meaning 'of citizens or the state') plus the suffix '-ing'.