What does polemic mean?

Definitions for polemic
pəˈlɛm ɪk, poʊ-polemic

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word polemic.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. polemicist, polemist, polemicnoun

    a writer who argues in opposition to others (especially in theology)

  2. polemicadjective

    a controversy (especially over a belief or dogma)

  3. polemic, polemicaladjective

    of or involving dispute or controversy

Wiktionary

  1. polemicnoun

    A person who writes in support of one opinion, doctrine, or system, in opposition to another; one skilled in polemics; a controversialist; a disputant.

  2. polemicnoun

    An argument or controversy.

  3. polemicnoun

    A strong verbal or written attack on someone or something.

  4. polemicadjective

    Having the characteristics of a polemic.

Wikipedia

  1. Polemic

    Polemic () is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called polemics, which are seen in arguments on controversial topics. A person who writes polemics, or speaks polemically, is called a polemicist. The word derives from Ancient Greek πολεμικός (polemikos) 'warlike, hostile', from πόλεμος (polemos) 'war'.Polemics often concern questions in religion or politics. A polemical style of writing was common in Ancient Greece, as in the writings of the historian Polybius. Polemic again became common in medieval and early modern times. Since then, famous polemicists have included satirist Jonathan Swift; Italian physicist and mathematician Galileo; French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher Voltaire; Christian anarchist Leo Tolstoy; socialist philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels; novelist George Orwell; playwright George Bernard Shaw; communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin; psycholinguist Noam Chomsky; social critics Christopher Hitchens and Peter Hitchens; existential philosopher Søren Kierkegaard; and Friedrich Nietzsche, author of On the Genealogy of Morality: A Polemic. Polemical journalism was common in continental Europe when libel laws were not as stringent as they are now.To support study of 17th to 19th century controversies, a British research project has placed online thousands of polemical pamphlets from that period.Discussions of atheism, humanism, and Christianity have remained open to polemic into the 21st century.

ChatGPT

  1. polemic

    Polemic is a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something, mainly concerning a contentious, controversial subject. It involves a passionate argument or a refutation of an opposing point of view, often intended to challenge or dispute another's position or belief.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Polemicadjective

    of or pertaining to controversy; maintaining, or involving, controversy; controversial; disputative; as, a polemic discourse or essay; polemic theology

  2. Polemicadjective

    engaged in, or addicted to, polemics, or to controversy; disputations; as, a polemic writer

  3. Polemicnoun

    one who writes in support of one opinion, doctrine, or system, in opposition to another; one skilled in polemics; a controversialist; a disputant

  4. Polemicnoun

    a polemic argument or controversy

  5. Etymology: [Gr. warlike, fr. war: cf. F. polmique.]

Wikidata

  1. Polemic

    A polemic is a contentious argument that is intended to establish the truth of a specific understanding and the falsity of the contrary position. Polemics are mostly seen in arguments about very controversial topics. The art or practice of such argumentation is called polemics. A person who often writes polemics, or who speaks polemically, is a polemicist or a polemic. The word is derived from the Greek πολεμικός, meaning "warlike, hostile", which comes from πόλεμος, "war".

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Polemic

    -al, po-lem′ik, -al, adj. given to disputing: controversial.—n. one who disputes: one who speaks or writes in opposition to another: a controversy.—adv. Polem′ically.—n.sing. Polem′ics, contest or controversy: (theol.) the history of ecclesiastical controversy.—n. Pol′emoscope, a perspective glass so constructed as to give views of objects not lying directly before the eye. [Gr. polemos, war.]

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of polemic in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of polemic in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of polemic in a Sentence

  1. Ivan Brehm:

    Michelin should, in my opinion, stay clear from the coffee shop and hawker stall culture, these run deep in the makeup of Singaporean society and any unnecessary polemic could undermine the guide's overall relevance.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

polemic#10000#63281#100000

Translations for polemic

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"polemic." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/polemic>.

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