polemic
[ puh-lem-ik, poh- ]
/ pəˈlɛm ɪk, poʊ- /
noun
a controversial argument, as one against some opinion, doctrine, etc.
a person who argues in opposition to another; controversialist.
adjective
Also po·lem·i·cal. of or relating to a polemic; controversial.
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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
OTHER WORDS FROM polemic
Words nearby polemic
pole house, poleis, pole jump, polemarch, pole mast, polemic, polemicize, polemics, polemist, polemize, polemology
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for polemic
British Dictionary definitions for polemic
polemic
/ (pəˈlɛmɪk) /
adjective Also: po'lemical
of or involving dispute or controversy
noun
an argument or controversy, esp over a doctrine, belief, etc
a person engaged in such an argument or controversy
Derived forms of polemic
polemically, adverbpolemicist (pəˈlɛmɪsɪst) or polemist (ˈpɒlɪmɪst), nounWord Origin for polemic
C17: from Medieval Latin polemicus, from Greek polemikos relating to war, from polemos war
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