polemical

adjective

po·​lem·​i·​cal pə-ˈle-mi-kəl 

variants or less commonly polemic

pə-ˈle-mik 

1

: of, relating to, or being a polemic : controversial

2

: engaged in or addicted to polemics : disputatious

polemically

pə-ˈle-mi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• argumentative
• contentious
• controversial
• disputatious
• quarrelsome
• scrappy

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

When pluralism implies of ideas, of ideologies, of parties, sometimes inimical to each other, sometimes polemical, sometimes in the attempt to make compromises in order to rule a country. —Foreign Affairs, 2 Nov. 2016

The motion picture industry first moved aggressively into polemical territory during the prewar interregnum from 1939 to 1941, when Europe was at war but America wasn’t. —Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Aug. 2024

After all, novels that exaggerate our social and political ills in some horrific future are the most polemical works of fiction. —Ron Charles, Washington Post, 16 July 2024

Blowups at literary journals are not the most pressing news of the day, but the incident at Guernica reveals the extent to which elite American literary outlets may now be beholden to the narrowest polemical and moralistic approaches to literature. —Phil Klay, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined at sense 1