polemic

n.

1. A controversial argument, especially one refuting or attacking a specific opinion or doctrine.
2. A person engaged in or inclined to controversy, argument, or refutation.

adj. also po·lem·i·cal (-ĭ-kəl)

Of or relating to a controversy, argument, or refutation.

[French polémique, from Greek polemikos, hostile, from polemos, war.]

polemically po·lem'i·cal·ly adv.

(puh-LEM-ik, poh-)
noun

1. A controversial argument.

2. A person who engages in arguments or controversy; a controversialist.
adjective, also polemical
Of or pertaining to a controversy or argument.

[From Greek polemik�s, from p�lemos (war). A related word is polemology (the science and study of human conflict and war).]

Usage:

"However, there is unfortunately a degree of `the sky is falling' to this book. This tractate is clearly a polemic and a call for action." — A. Mark Clarfield; Mixing Politics and Public Health; The Jerusalem Post (Israel); May 8, 2001.

"In 1929, Virginia Woolf delivered a passionate polemic about the odds facing a woman born with a great gift for writing." — Edna O'Brien; Stone of the Heart; The New Yorker; Mar 24, 2003.

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Polemic, from a Greek root meaning "war," is to be expected in a book about politics, and the New York Times Book Review is prepared to forgive it in Kevin Phillips' new book:

"'American Theocracy'... is not without polemic, but unlike many of the more glib and strident political commentaries of recent years, it is extensively researched and for the most part frighteningly persuasive."

Link: 'American Theocracy,' by Kevin Phillips - The New York Times Book Review

Posted March 20, 2006.

See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words.

noun

A discussion, often heated, in which a difference of opinion is expressed: altercation, argument, bicker, clash, contention, controversy, debate, difficulty, disagreement, dispute, fight, quarrel, run-in, spat, squabble, tiff, word (used in plural), wrangle. Informal hassle, rhubarb, tangle. See conflict/cooperation.

adjective

Given to arguing: argumentative, combative, contentious, disputatious, eristic, litigious, polemical, quarrelsome, scrappy. See conflict/cooperation.

polemic [pŏ‐lemm‐ik], a thorough written attack on some opinion or policy, usually within a theological or political dispute, sometimes also in philosophy or criticism. Notable polemicists in English are John Milton, whose Areopagitica (1644) attacks censorship, and H. D. Thoreau, whose ‘Slavery in Massachusetts’ (1854) berates upholders of the Fugitive Slave Law.

adjective: polemical.

IN BRIEF: Aggressive attack on opinions of another.

The camera can photograph thought. It's better than a paragraph of sweet polemic. — Dirk Bogarde (1921-1999)

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - polemiker
adj. - polemisk

Nederlands (Dutch)
polemiek, pennenstrijd, strijdschrift, polemisch

Français (French)
n. - polémique, réquisitoire, plaidoyer
adj. - polémique

Deutsch (German)
n. - Polemik, Streitschrift
adj. - polemisch

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - πολεμική, έντονη αντιπαράθεση
adj. - επίμαχος, πολεμικός

Italiano (Italian)
polemica, opuscolo, polemico

Português (Portuguese)
n. - polêmica (f), controversista
adj. - polêmico

Русский (Russian)
полемика, спорщик, полемический, спорный

Español (Spanish)
n. - polémica, polemista, disputador
adj. - polémica, polémico

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - polemiker, polemik, meningsstrid
adj. - polemisk

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
争论, 争论者, 辩论, 辩论者, 论战的, 好争论的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 爭論, 爭論者, 辯論, 辯論者
adj. - 論戰的, 好爭論的

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 논쟁, 논박
adj. - 논쟁의, 논쟁을 좋아하는

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 論争, 論証法
adj. - 論争の, 反論する, 論争好きな

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) حرب كلاميه, مناظرة, جدال قلمي (صفه) جدلي, جدالي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮פולמוס, ויכוח, אמנות הוויכוח, התקפה במלים על יריב פוליטי‬
adj. - ‮פולמוסי, וכחני‬

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