polarize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cause polarization in.
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to divide into sharply opposing factions, political groups, etc..
The controversy has polarized voters into proabortion and antiabortion groups.
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to give polarity to.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to acquire or cause to acquire polarity
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to acquire or cause to acquire polarization
to polarize light
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to cause people to adopt extreme opposing positions
to polarize opinion
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To separate or accumulate positive and negative electric charges in two distinct regions. Polarized objects have an electric dipole moment and will undergo torque when placed in an external electric field.
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To magnetize a substance so that it has the properties of a magnetic dipole, such as having a north and south pole.
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To cause the electrical and magnetic fields associated with electromagnetic waves, especially light, to vibrate in a particular direction or path. The transverse electric and magnetic waves always vibrate at right angles to each other, but in ordinary unpolarized light sources, the direction of polarization of each wave is randomly distributed. Light can be polarized by reflection, and by passing through certain materials.
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See more at polarization
Other Word Forms
- depolarize verb (used with object)
- nonpolarizable adjective
- polarizability noun
- polarizable adjective
- repolarize verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of polarize
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Booker has long been a visible and sometimes polarizing figure in national politics.
From Salon
The spectacle has rekindled hopes that America can become less polarized and find more common ground.
From Salon
By studying how this light is polarized, scientists can gain valuable clues about the shape and behavior of the extremely hot gas and debris swirling around black holes at extreme speeds.
From Science Daily
By changing the helicity, or twist, of the circularly polarized pulses, the team could stabilize either the clockwise or anti-clockwise arrangement of electric dipoles.
From Science Daily
The chef and co-operator behind Tesla Diner, one of the city’s most notable and polarizing new restaurants, is exiting the project.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
