polemic

English

Alternative forms

• polemick (obsolete)

Etymology

From French polémique, from Ancient Greek πολεμικός (polemikós, “of war”), from πόλεμος (pólemos, “war”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pəˈlɛmɪk/, /pəˈliːmɪk/

• Audio (US, /-li-/)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛmɪk, -iːmɪk

Noun

polemic (plural polemics)

1. A person who writes in support of one opinion, doctrine, or system, in opposition to another; one skilled in polemics; a controversialist; a disputant.

   Synonyms: controversialist, disputant, polemicist

2. An argument or controversy.
4. A strong verbal or written attack on someone or something.

   Synonyms: harangue, screed, rant, tirade, philippic

Derived terms

• polemical
• polemically
• polemicist

 

Translations

strong written or verbal attack

• Afrikaans: polemiek
• Belarusian: пале́міка f (paljémika)
• Bulgarian: спор (bg) m (spor), полемика (bg) f (polemika)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 論戰／论战 (zh) (lùnzhàn)

• Czech: polemika (cs) f
• Danish: polemik (da) c
• Dutch: polemiek (nl) f
• Esperanto: polemiko
• Finnish: polemiikki (fi)
• French: polémique (fr) f
• Georgian: პოლემიკა (ṗolemiḳa)
• German: Polemik (de) f
• Hindi: खंडन (hi) (khaṇḍan), खंडन-मंडन (khaṇḍan-maṇḍan)
• Icelandic: (book or pamphlet of polemic) deilurit n
• Italian: polemica (it) f
• Japanese: 論争 (ja) (ろんそう, ronsō)
• Macedonian: полемика f (polemika)
• Malay:

  Jawi: ڤوليميک (ms)

  Rumi: polemik (ms)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: polemikk m

  Nynorsk: polemikk m

• Polish: polemika (pl) f
• Portuguese: polémica (pt) f (Portugal), polêmica (pt) f (Brazil)
• Russian: поле́мика (ru) f (polémika)
• Spanish: polémica (es) f
• Swedish: polemik (sv) c
• Turkish: polemik (tr)
• Ukrainian: поле́міка (uk) f (polémika)

Adjective

polemic (comparative more polemic, superlative most polemic)

1. Having the characteristics of a polemic.
   • 1893, Report of the Third Decennial Missionary Conference:

     A fourth hindrance is by some held to be, that many of our polemic publications are too polemic. Some hold that we should urge the simple Gospel, and make no attack on Hinduism or Muhammadanism .

   • 1995, Patrick Nicol Troy, Technological Change and the City:

     To explain some of these challenges, it is useful to take a brief and polemic look at the one area that is perhaps most fundamentally affected by the new conditions: the workplace.

   • 2017, Monisha Bajaj, Human Rights Education: Theory, Research, Praxis:

     Using a rather polemic tone, Mutua (2002) argues that interpretations of human rights are not neutral but very much embedded in cultural and political assumptions

Synonyms

• polemical

Translations

having the characteristics of a polemic

• Bulgarian: полемичен (polemičen)
• Catalan: polèmic (ca)
• Danish: polemisk (da)
• Esperanto: polemika
• Finnish: poleeminen (fi)
• French: polémique (fr) m or f
• German: polemisch (de)
• Italian: polemico (it)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: polemisk (no)

  Nynorsk: polemisk

• Portuguese: polémico (pt), polêmico (pt) (Brasil)
• Spanish: polémico (es)
• Swedish: polemisk (sv)

Further reading

• “polemic”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “polemic”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• compile

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French polémique.

Adjective

polemic m or n (feminine singular polemică, masculine plural polemici, feminine and neuter plural polemice)

1. polemic

Declension

Declension of polemic

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	polemic		polemică	polemici	polemice
	definite	polemicul		polemica	polemicii	polemicele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	polemic		polemice	polemici	polemice
	definite	polemicului		polemicei	polemicilor	polemicelor