polarizing
Americanadjective
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tending to divide people into sharply opposing factions.
Here are some tips to keep polarizing political discourse from disrupting your workplace.
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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.
It’s been a strong summer on the court for Zverev, a polarizing figure in tennis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Big personalities like Rousey and Conor McGregor helped him do it: both great fighters in their own right, both polarizing entertainers capable of generating big headlines.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2026
Elon Musk's SpaceX was set to begin trading on the Nasdaq exchange Friday with the biggest initial public offering in history expected to make the polarizing entrepreneur the world's first trillionaire.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
Not everyone follows the same code, which makes backdoor reference-checking a polarizing practice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 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.
