polemic
pronunciation
How to pronounce polemic in British English:
UK [pəˈlemɪk]
How to pronounce polemic in American English:
US [pəˈlemɪk]
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- Noun:
- a writer who argues in opposition to others (especially in theology)
- a controversy (especially over a belief or dogma)
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- Adjective:
- of or involving dispute or controversy
Word Origin
- polemic (n.)
- 1630s, "controversial argument or discussion," from French polémique (16c./17c.), noun use of adjective meaning "disputatious, controversial" (see polemic (adj.)).
- polemic (adj.)
- 1640s, from French polémique (from Middle French polemique) "disputatious, controversial," or directly from Greek polemikos "of war, warlike, belligerent; skilled in war, fit for service; like an enemy, stirring up hostility," from polemos "war," of unknown origin. Related: Polemical (1630s).
Example
- 1. Mr blom 's book is part biography and part polemic .
- 2. In gathering these interviews , the british library was not aiming for a polemic .
- 3. If the author is trying to be too ' complete ' or too insistent on a specific interpretation , their work can tip over into propaganda or polemic , and again the reader can feel cheated .
- 4. Mr mo 's virtuoso prose whips up a frenzied polemic against contemporary chinese society and politics .
- 5. These are bolstered by its " cultural output " of movies , music , philosophical discourse and even political polemic .