polemics

American  

[puh-lem-iks, poh-] / pəˈlɛm ɪks, poʊ- /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the art or practice of disputation or controversy.

   a master of polemics.

2. the branch of theology dealing with the history or conduct of ecclesiastical disputation and controversy.

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polemics British  

/ pəˈlɛmɪks /

noun

1. (functioning as singular) the art or practice of dispute or argument, as in attacking or defending a doctrine or belief

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Etymology

Origin of polemics

First recorded in 1630–40; polemic, -ics

Example Sentences

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

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

While the case does not directly relate to generative AI, Justice Neil Gorsuch noted that AI tools that generate "poetry" and "polemics" likely would not enjoy such legal protections.

From Reuters • Apr. 24, 2023

You could ask your friend to keep in touch, but not to send you polemics.

From Washington Post • Jan. 29, 2023

Was it not a word, thanks to Pascal, irretrievably associated with religious polemics of the sort that the members of the Royal Society were determined to avoid?

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton