to polarize opinions
- phrasal verb
- /ˈpoʊləˌraɪz əˈpɪnjənz/
- Literature
:
polarizar opiniones
- This just creates more polarizing opinions, and this creates like more of a chance for a civil war to happen within that state.
Examples
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Similarly, those having polarized opinions about candidates may choose certain programs congenial to their opinions.
Academic text (2016) -
Sustainability remains a topic that polarizes opinion.
Blog text (24) -
The fact of American supremacy tends to polarize opinion.
Academic text (2002) -
No doubt these articles created some tension and may have polarized opinions among TASH members about these issues.
Academic text (2015) -
Sustainability polarizes opinion.
Blog text (24) -
The recent policy changes have polarized opinions among the citizenry, leading to heated debates.
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The documentary on climate change is designed to polarize opinions about our environmental responsibilities.
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In the town meeting, the new zoning law polarized opinions between developers and community activists.
Synonyms
23
7.2
Make people or groups divide into two opposing sides
13
7.6
To cause people to argue or become divided on purpose
8
8.0
To cause trouble by saying things to make people argue
5
5.3
To cause fights or problems between people on purpose
1
8.7
To make a group or organization split into smaller groups that disagree
1
9.5
To make a person or group strongly support one political side
Make opinions or groups become very divided, often in politics
To cause disagreement between people or groups
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to cause people to divide into opposing views' is directly and compositionally derived from 'polarize' (to drive into opposing camps) combined with 'opinions' (views). This is a straightforward verb + object construction with clear cross-linguistic equivalents, so a learner who knows the constituent words will readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
Polarize opinions comes from the image of a magnet or a beam of light being split into two opposite sides: to polarize is to push things toward two poles, so opinions end up in separate groups. That's why it means 'divide into groups with opposing views' and often leads to 'strong disagreement'.