polemic

American  

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

noun

polemics plural

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• polemics
  plural

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

Explanation

A polemic is something that stirs up controversy by having a negative opinion, usually aimed at a particular group. A piece of writing can be a polemic, as long as it gets someone's goat. Polemic comes from the Greek polemikos meaning "warlike, belligerent." It's like challenging someone to a duel of ideas. These days a polemic is usually a piece of writing, such as if the Grinch published a powerful polemic against Christmas. It's like a debate, and philosophers from Nietzsche to Voltaire are known for theirs. The British philosopher John Stuart Mill had this to say about it: "The worst offense that can be committed by a polemic is to stigmatize those who hold a contrary opinion as bad and immoral men."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

polemic polemics

We care about his long-ago polemic because of the ideas he embedded in it and the force with which he expressed them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

“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 ● Jan. 19, 2024

His Glastonbury set opened with the angry, antagonistic Hate, followed quickly by Plastic, a polemic about the seductive but reductive allure of consumer culture.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2023

What Rufo is talking about is a classic bait-and-switch — cutting and pasting a polemic from one place into another for a strategic advantage.

From Salon ● May 30, 2023

I was heart-sick at the prospect that he might want to re-edit the entire book into a polemic against Elijah Muhammad.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

"A Kingdom that counters polemics and resignation through friendship and a culture of encounter. Let us believe once again in love, moderation and good politics."

From Barron's ● Apr. 11, 2026

What Mr. Restall means is that the great explorer is still at the center of a swarm of unresolved polemics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2025

One of the more recent and ballyhooed polemics against Roosevelt was "The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression," a 2007 bestseller by Amity Shlaes.

From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2023

As the delay suggests, polemics for the Noble Savage tended to meet with little sympathy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• spat