polemic

noun

Definition of polemicnext
as in diatribe

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of polemic Zemmour’s 2014 polemic The Suicide of France was recently released in English translation by Encounter Books, as the divisive and influential European anti-immigration politics of the 2010s remain current across the Atlantic. — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 22 June 2026 The album is both plea, polemic and protest, but its argument — that oppressed and working people deserve rights and dignity, and that those things have historically been won through rebellion and revolution — is hardly radical. — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2026 His wartime polemic, Our Banner in the Sky (1861), is a visual pun in which morning stars and sunrise clouds conspire to suggest a tattered American flag. — Susan Tallman, The Atlantic, 13 June 2026 There is a long history of political polemics about the relation between journalism and government, and a substantial body of scholarly research and theory on that relationship. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for polemic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polemic
  1. diatribe
  2. criticism
  3. tirade
  4. harangue
  5. rebuke
  6. excoriation
  7. castigation
Noun
  • There is something instructive in the agent concluding a diatribe on quelling revolutionary violence with a note about feeling inspired.
    — Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
  • During the 2007 ceremony, Field took to the stage to accept her award — only to be cut off after launching into an emotional diatribe about the war in Iraq.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of diatribe
Noun
  • Trump's continuing criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and praise of Putin only give Putin further confidence the United States is not serious about imposing more severe sanctions.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • His government, the most nationalist and far-right in Israel’s history, faces domestic criticism over security failures and international criticism over the treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of criticism
Noun
  • Footage of Jackson's tirade is indisputable, and the consequences are entirely self-inflicted.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • After the run that Lisa couldn’t complete, Whitney tracks her down at the bottom of the mountain to officially apologize for her drunken tirade against her at that drag brunch, and against all odds, Lisa is fully ready to hear her out.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of tirade
Noun
  • The movie is an epic series of harrumphs and harangues, propelled from room to room—and, in time, out into the world beyond the estate—by a spirit of impudent absurdism and corrosive cynicism which seems to emanate from Digger himself.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Stephen Adly Guirgis, a New York playwright who specializes in urban pressure-cooker dramas, has a gift for writing subway strap-hanger harangues.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
Definition of harangue
Noun
  • This is not necessarily a rebuke from the European Union, but rather from Danish politician Per Clausen, who sponsored the exhibit.
    — Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The threats against the filmmakers have drawn a rebuke from the International Documentary Association, for which Costa used to serve as co-president of the board.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of rebuke
Noun
  • If Trump is at all interested in avoiding further excoriation at home, brevity must be his priority.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
  • There’ve been the usual marches around the country, signs, excoriations from members of Congress, all under the same umbrella of resistance.
    — Boston Herald editorial staff, Boston Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
Definition of excoriation
Noun
  • Not everyone on the right is onboard with the Kimmel castigation.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2026
  • The standoff centered on the now-former assistant attorney general’s public and internal castigation of pediatric gender medicine.
    — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 31 Jan. 2026
Definition of castigation

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poled
polemic
polemical
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Cite this Entry

“Polemic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polemic. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on polemic

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about polemic

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