as in to divide
to cause (people) to break up into opposing groups
A hot button issue that is sure to polarize the public.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of polarize
Fashion folks have become so Tabi-pilled in recent years that nail artists have started looking to the shoe for inspiration and are mimicking their cloven shape with nail extensions, creating a burgeoning trend that’s just as polarizing as the shoes themselves.
—
Kara Nesvig, Allure, 24 Sep. 2025
If the light is polarized in a radially-symmetric fashion, that’s an example of an E-mode (electric) polarization; if the light is polarized in either a clockwise or counterclockwise fashion, that’s an example of a B-mode (magnetic) polarization.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 24 Sep. 2025
The verdict came two days after Trump spoke at a memorial service for the popular but polarizing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, whose murder on a Utah college campus this month has ratcheted up anxieties about political violence in the United States.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 24 Sep. 2025
That platitude — polarize — was used multiple times to describe the film’s political world, even the nitty-gritty of it.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for polarize
Kara Nesvig, Allure, 24 Sep. 2025
If the light is polarized in a radially-symmetric fashion, that’s an example of an E-mode (electric) polarization; if the light is polarized in either a clockwise or counterclockwise fashion, that’s an example of a B-mode (magnetic) polarization.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 24 Sep. 2025
The verdict came two days after Trump spoke at a memorial service for the popular but polarizing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, whose murder on a Utah college campus this month has ratcheted up anxieties about political violence in the United States.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 24 Sep. 2025
That platitude — polarize — was used multiple times to describe the film’s political world, even the nitty-gritty of it.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for polarize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polarize
Verb
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See how commonwealth compares to other states The classic Halloween symbol is also great at dividing the masses.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
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Taiwan’s tender architecture is divided into two parts for 2026 and 2027.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The 18 qualified teams were split into pots of three, according to their UEFA coefficient, and were drawn against two teams from each pot, with three matches away and three at home.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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So, all those nine teams splitting the first two on the road won the series … right?—
Ryan Ford,
Freep.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Polarize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polarize. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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