polarizer

American  

[poh-luh-rahy-zer] / ˈpoʊ ləˌraɪ zər /

noun

1. a person or thing that polarizes.

2. Optics. a device, often a crystal or prism, that polarizes light.

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polarizer British  

/ ˈpəʊləˌraɪzə /

noun

1. a person or a device that causes polarization

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Etymology

Origin of polarizer

First recorded in 1850–55; polarize + -er ¹

Example Sentences

The neural network is trained using two complementary diffraction images, one captured with a vertical polarizer and one without.

From Science Daily • Mar. 29, 2026

The monitor’s screen coating omits a light-reflecting polarizer, and thus, deep blacks can appear gray if you’re using it in a well-lit room.

From The Verge • Apr. 6, 2022

“Cruz is a polarizer within his own party,” said Dante Scala, a political science professor at the University of New Hampshire.

From MSNBC • Jan. 18, 2016

Mr. Zorn, 59, is a saxophonist of firm avant-garde conviction, a natural polarizer and provocateur.

From New York Times • May 19, 2013

First, then, we have a prism which receives the light from the electric lamp, and which is called the polarizer.

From Six Lectures on Light Delivered In The United States In 1872-1873 by Tyndall, John