polemic

American  

[puh-lem-ik, poh-] / pəˈlɛm ɪk, poʊ- /

noun

1. a controversial argument, as one against some opinion, doctrine, etc.

2. a person who argues in opposition to another; controversialist.

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adjective

1. Also polemical. of or relating to a polemic; controversial.

polemic British  

/ pəˈlɛmɪsɪst, pəˈlɛmɪk, ˈpɒlɪmɪst /

adjective

1. of or involving dispute or controversy

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noun

1. an argument or controversy, esp over a doctrine, belief, etc

2. a person engaged in such an argument or controversy

Other Word Forms

• nonpolemic noun
• nonpolemical adjective
• nonpolemically adverb
• overpolemical adjective
• overpolemically adverb
• polemically adverb
• polemicist noun
• unpolemic adjective
• unpolemical adjective
• unpolemically adverb

Etymology

Origin of polemic

First recorded in 1610–20; from French polémique “disputatious, argumentative,” from Greek polemikós “of or for war,” equivalent to pólem(os) “war” + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

Apart from fierce polemics, the election has generated widespread confusion.

From Los Angeles Times

Rather than slide into polemic or tragic melodrama, Nguyen leans into the tension between the four half-siblings to unpack the complicated roles that surveillance, big tech and journalism play in our fractured modern state.

From Los Angeles Times

But this is a work of history, not a polemic.

From Los Angeles Times

It linked to a short film: a 20-minute polemic against the emptiness of modern life, a lament for a vanished world of hierarchies and heroism.

From BBC

“It’s such a powerful, polemic piece, as well as being poetic and also mundane at times,” Cumberbatch says, speaking via Zoom from London.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• spat