Politaster

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who engages in political discussion or activity superficially, without genuine expertise or deep conviction
2. Someone who meddles in political matters amateurishly or pretends to political knowledge they do not possess
3. An individual who affects interest in politics casually or without the serious study and commitment that politics demands

Etymology: Politaster is a disparaging noun for a petty or pretentious politician, someone who meddles in public affairs without the skill or seriousness the role requires. It follows the pattern of "poetaster", a bad poet, and that pattern comes from Latin. The suffix "-aster" marked something that resembles its base word without being the real thing, as in "oleaster", the wild olive, which looks like an olive tree but is a different plant. The base is "politic", from Latin "politicus", which came from the Greek "politikos", meaning relating to the city or its citizens. Adding "-aster" turns the idea of a politician into a mere imitation of one. The term is rare and learned, and its tone is almost always mocking.

Synonyms: petty politician, small-time politician