polemic

[ puh-lem-ik, poh- ]

See synonyms for: polemic polemics on Thesaurus.com

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.

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

po·lem·i·cal·ly, adverb
non·po·lem·ic, noun, adjective
non·po·lem·i·cal, adjective
non·po·lem·i·cal·ly, adverb
o·ver·po·lem·i·cal, adjective
o·ver·po·lem·i·cal·ly, adverb
un·po·lem·ic, adjective
un·po·lem·i·cal, adjective
un·po·lem·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use polemic in a sentence

In the same way, that museum exhibition was a big polemical attack on Pim Fortuyn mislabeled as a study of the fall of Rome.
David's Book Club: Empires and Barbarians | David Frum | January 6, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The more polemical the exchange, the more bluntly this point will be advanced.
The Public Health Case Against Pot | David Frum | December 27, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
For decades now, the discourse about Israel has been far too hysterical, far too polemical, far too zero-sum.
Neither "Best Friend" Nor "Anti-Israel" | Gil Troy | October 17, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
I think Philip's words provide an almost laboratory-pure example of just such a polemical tendency.
The Overheated Case Against Romneycare | David Frum | August 4, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
This would be the opposite of blind partisanship and polemical vitriol, but would still be a conflict, even a bitter one.
The Illusory Promise of Apolitical Theology | David Sessions | June 2, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST

Is there any Church in Christendom with such a polemical history or at the present moment so hopelessly and bitterly schismatic?
British Quarterly Review, American Edition, Volume LIV | Various
He wrote hurriedly, with a polemical object in view, and paid no attention to style.
The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi; Volume the first | Count Carlo Gozzi
His logic was studied with the sole view of learning to use polemical weapons.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume V | John Lord
Saadiah's polemical works have always a positive as well as a negative value.
Chapters on Jewish Literature | Israel Abrahams
He describes this vigorous polemical treatise as "flung like a bombshell among my opponents."
Makers of British Botany; a collection of biographies by living botanists | Various

British Dictionary definitions for polemic

polemic

/ (pəˈlɛmɪk) /

adjectiveAlso: 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

Origin of polemic

C17: from Medieval Latin polemicus, from Greek polemikos relating to war, from polemos war

Derived forms of polemic

polemically, adverb
polemicist (pəˈlɛmɪsɪst) or polemist (ˈpɒlɪmɪst), noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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