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Synonyms

polemic

American  
[puh-lem-ik, poh-] / pəˈlɛm ɪk, poʊ- /

noun

  1. a controversial argument, as one against some opinion, doctrine, etc.

  2. a person who argues in opposition to another; controversialist.

adjective

  1. Also polemical. of or relating to a polemic; controversial.

polemic British  
/ pəˈlɛmɪsɪst, pəˈlɛmɪk, ˈpɒlɪmɪst /

adjective

  1. of or involving dispute or controversy

"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

noun

  1. an argument or controversy, esp over a doctrine, belief, etc

  2. a person engaged in such an argument or controversy

"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

Other Word Forms

  • nonpolemic noun
  • nonpolemical adjective
  • nonpolemically adverb
  • overpolemical adjective
  • overpolemically adverb
  • polemically adverb
  • polemicist noun
  • unpolemic adjective
  • unpolemical adjective
  • unpolemically adverb

Etymology

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

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.