polemical
adjective
po·lem·i·cal
pə-ˈle-mi-kəl 
variants
or less commonly polemic
1
: of, relating to, or being a polemic : controversial
2
: engaged in or addicted to polemics : disputatious
Examples of polemical in a Sentence
during the Middle Ages even theologians could be surprisingly polemical in their writings
an unnecessarily polemical look at the supposed incompatibility between science and religion
Recent Examples on the Web
Now, in the 1500s and 1600s, that phrase was often used by Catholics in their polemical war against Protestants.
—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
1 July 2026
Tarring someone with the pedant brush is polemical, of course.
—
Clare Bucknell,
The New York Review of Books,
27 June 2026
In her account, Richmond indeed emerges as its progenitor—through his theorizing, his behind-the-scenes parliamentary and polemical maneuvering, and his patronage of Thomas Paine.
—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
The slapstick titles—Crackned Horsez, To of Them, Ape Island, all 1972—further stymied any straightforwardly polemical takeaway.
—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for polemical
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David Frum,
The Atlantic,
1 July 2026
Tarring someone with the pedant brush is polemical, of course.
—
Clare Bucknell,
The New York Review of Books,
27 June 2026
In her account, Richmond indeed emerges as its progenitor—through his theorizing, his behind-the-scenes parliamentary and polemical maneuvering, and his patronage of Thomas Paine.
—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
The slapstick titles—Crackned Horsez, To of Them, Ape Island, all 1972—further stymied any straightforwardly polemical takeaway.
—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for polemical
Cite this Entry
“Polemical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polemical. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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