polemic

Definition of polemicnext

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 Back across the Atlantic, the very nature of such polemic appears under threat. Max Goldbart, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2025 Films of striking social relevance that never fall to polemic or sensationalism, but instead so trustingly fulfill their characters’ plight and courage. Leo Barraclough, Variety, 14 Sep. 2025 The festival’s other major eat-the-rich polemic is, in the grand scheme of Yorgos Lanthimos’s oeuvre, a minor work, to be sure, but still a riveting, twisty, and raucously funny one. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 5 Sep. 2025 The book influencer who is terrified that Zohran Mamdani is going to usher in a new wave of antisemitism to New York City and the world is not going to be the target audience for Omar El Akkad’s essential polemic One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This and that’s okay. Maris Kreizman august 28, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for polemic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polemic
Noun
  • Postecoglou had the knack of answering a question about his options at right-back with a diatribe about his time at Tottenham Hotspur.
    Paul Taylor, New York Times, 11 May 2026
  • Moreno-Gama was arrested Friday morning by San Francisco police officers, who recovered a copy of his anti-AI diatribe, a kerosene jug and a lighter, according to the criminal complaint.
    Jared Perlo, NBC news, 13 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The most contentious and controversial being some very pointed criticisms of Ole Miss, his former school.
    Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
  • At the same time, some of the party’s campaign committees in Washington quietly provide logistical support in some cases, while avoiding public criticism of the independent candidates even in some races where there is a Democratic nominee.
    Steve Peoples, Fortune, 15 May 2026
Noun
  • The Onion has long delighted readers with a mix of highbrow and stupidly silly news stories that parody the latest social trends and political tirades, highlighting their absurdity—and deeper truths.
    Lauren Giella, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2026
  • Publishing such a tirade, as everyone knew, was tantamount to political self-destruction.
    Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 9 May 2026
Noun
  • 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
  • Disney and Paramount Global both kowtowed to weak suits from President Donald Trump agreeing to pay settlements of $15 million and $16 million, respectively, to make the legal harangues go away rather than fighting for ABC News and CBS News.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 4 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • But the judge, Clifton Newman, responded with a forceful rebuke of Murdaugh and alluded to the defendant’s addiction to prescription painkillers.
    Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 13 May 2026
  • The governor's rebuke followed a partnership between her office and the Mamdani administration on another funding proposal.
    Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 11 May 2026
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
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

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Polemic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polemic. Accessed 19 May. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on polemic

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster