as in divides
to cause (people) to break up into opposing groups
A hot button issue that is sure to polarize the public.
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Recent Examples of polarizes
Content that outrages, polarizes or triggers anxiety keeps us watching.
—
Avital Pardo, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Avital Pardo, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polarizes
divides
Verb
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Analysts say this has pulled the faith’s center of gravity toward the more conservative global south, deepening divides with the West’s more liberal outlook.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
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Attached to each loop is a polymerase enzyme, which serves a critical function every time a cell divides.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Polarizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polarizes. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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