polemical

polemical

adjective

Definition of POLEMICAL

1

given to arguing <during the Middle Ages even theologians could be surprisingly polemical in their writings>

Synonyms contentious, controversial, disputatious, polemical (also polemic), quarrelsome, scrappy

Related Words aggressive, bellicose, belligerent, combative, gladiatorial, militant, pugnacious, truculent, warlike; feisty, fractious, surly; balky, contrary, ornery, perverse, restive, wayward; disobedient, froward, insubordinate, intractable, recalcitrant, refractory; hardheaded, headstrong, mulish, obdurate, obstinate, pigheaded, resistant, self-opinionated, self-willed, stubborn, unbending, uncompromising, uncooperative, unreasonable, unyielding, willful (or wilful); acidic, bearish, bilious, cantankerous, captious, choleric, crabby, cranky, cross, disagreeable, dyspeptic, fretful, grouchy, grumpy, huffy, ill-humored, ill-natured, ill-tempered, irascible, irritable, peevish, pettish, petulant, querulous, rude, snappish, snappy, splenetic, testy, touchy, waspish; battling, fighting, warring

Near Antonyms affable, amiable, amicable, benevolent, cordial, easygoing, friendly, genial, good-natured, good-tempered, gracious, ingratiating, pleasant, sociable; acquiescent, agreeable, amenable, complaisant, compliant, complying, conciliatory, cooperative, obliging; docile, obedient, submissive, tractable; pacific, peaceable, peaceful

2

relating to or causing the expression of opposing opinions <an unnecessarily polemical look at the supposed incompatibility between science and religion>

Synonyms argumentative, contentious, disputatious, hot-button, polemical (also polemic)

Related Words delicate, difficult, knotty, problematic (also problematical), spiny, thorny, ticklish, touchy, tough

Near Antonyms incontestable, incontrovertible, indisputable, indubitable, undeniable, unquestionable; irrefutable; uncontested, undisputed

Antonyms noncontroversial, safe, uncontroversial

Variants of POLEMICAL

polemical also polemic