to polemicize
- verb
- /pəˈlɛmɪˌsaɪz/
- Formal
- Approaching the past from a feminist point of view, these revisionist historical novels polemicize not only about the discrimination against women in former periods, but also about the erasure of women from the historical record.
Examples
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During the debate, she tended to polemicize with her opponents over the proposed education reforms.
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Although the poem's subject is love, it polemicizes against the courtly love of the troubadours and grouses against Laura herself.
Academic text (2003) -
Other authors wondered why there was a need to polemicize about the need for separate armed forces when each sovereign country has them.
Academic text (1995) -
Both sides made mistakes that polemicized discussion and took time to overcome.
Academic text (1999) -
This is the mantra of the very people who have destroyed this economy and polemicized American politics.
Blog text (32) -
And you'll see when you get a polemicized discussion of this, what you hear is that right to life people say, oh, contraception is no good.
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Occasionally, scholars write of our "Westphalian system," but only coolly to categorize and chronicle, not to pronounce or polemicize.
Academic text (1995) -
The formalistic school should therefore accord some recognition to intuitionism, instead of polemicizing against it in sneering tones, while not even observing proper mention of authorship.
Blog text (14) -
The author's latest book aims to polemicize against the current political climate, sparking much controversy among readers.
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He was known to polemicize passionately during discussions about climate change and environmental policies.
Synonyms
To cause trouble by saying things to make people argue
To argue strongly in public, often in writing or speech
Antonyms
How Argumentative
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Polemicize comes from the Greek root polemos, which means 'war', and the verb ending -ize, which can mean 'to make'. It is like starting a 'war' with words, so to polemicize is to argue strongly or attack an idea in speech or writing.