as in dividing
to cause (people) to break up into opposing groups
A hot button issue that is sure to polarize the public.
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Recent Examples of polarizing
The first major leaguer to win three consecutive batting titles for a different team in each season, Arraez is a singular, polarizing figure in the modern game.
—
Dennis Lin, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap have announced an April 24 release date for their new LP Fenian, which will be their first album since a series of polarizing political statements threatened to derail their career.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 28 Jan. 2026
Maury Povich spent decades at the center of one of daytime television’s most polarizing phenomena, presiding over paternity tests, lie detector results and the kind of raw confrontations that defined the height of ’90s talk TV.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
There can’t be too many quotes attributed to such an incongruous triumvirate, but then there are few instruments as polarizing as the squeeze-box.
—Jonathan Margolis, Air Mail, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for polarizing
Dennis Lin, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap have announced an April 24 release date for their new LP Fenian, which will be their first album since a series of polarizing political statements threatened to derail their career.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 28 Jan. 2026
Maury Povich spent decades at the center of one of daytime television’s most polarizing phenomena, presiding over paternity tests, lie detector results and the kind of raw confrontations that defined the height of ’90s talk TV.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
There can’t be too many quotes attributed to such an incongruous triumvirate, but then there are few instruments as polarizing as the squeeze-box.
—Jonathan Margolis, Air Mail, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for polarizing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polarizing
dividing
Verb
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Taste is a global force, driving migrations, shifting investments, and dividing us into groups and tribes.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2026
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That said, finding the answer to how much silver $500 will buy isn't as simple as dividing that amount by today's spot price.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Polarizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polarizing. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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