- present participle of polarize.
polarizing
Americanadjective
-
tending to divide people into sharply opposing factions.
Here are some tips to keep polarizing political discourse from disrupting your workplace.
-
causing polarization of light or similar radiation.
If there is glare, you can use a polarizing filter on the camera to reduce or even remove it.
-
causing magnetic or electric polarity in a body or system.
The control system consists of a feedback loop that uses real-time polarizing electric fields as a controlling force.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of polarizing
First recorded in 1720–30; polariz(e) ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; polariz(e) ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun sense
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.
A beef-tallow-induced identity crisis: Earlier this year, Luke Winkie set out to crack the biggest culinary mystery in America: Why has this old-fashioned cooking ingredient become so polarizing?
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
She earned her second Emmy in 2021 for her blistering turn as polarizing British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in “The Crown.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Soccer’s velvety, polarizing honcho had the planet begrudgingly tossing confetti at his custom Stan Smiths.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
The fact that Jane Wickline, a featured player on ‘Saturday Night Live,’ is so polarizing is, in its way, a recommendation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
They wore shiny, textured gray-blue suits and wide ties and sported long sideburns and slightly too large brown- tinted polarizing glasses.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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.
