as in dividing
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 polarizing
Still, Tetzlaff says the open-concept layout is also polarizing for buyers.
—
Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Feb. 2026
The first major leaguer to win three consecutive batting titles for a different team in each season, Arraez is a singular, polarizing figure in the modern game.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap have announced an April 24 release date for their new LP Fenian, which will be their first album since a series of polarizing political statements threatened to derail their career.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 28 Jan. 2026
Maury Povich spent decades at the center of one of daytime television’s most polarizing phenomena, presiding over paternity tests, lie detector results and the kind of raw confrontations that defined the height of ’90s talk TV.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for polarizing
Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Feb. 2026
The first major leaguer to win three consecutive batting titles for a different team in each season, Arraez is a singular, polarizing figure in the modern game.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap have announced an April 24 release date for their new LP Fenian, which will be their first album since a series of polarizing political statements threatened to derail their career.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 28 Jan. 2026
Maury Povich spent decades at the center of one of daytime television’s most polarizing phenomena, presiding over paternity tests, lie detector results and the kind of raw confrontations that defined the height of ’90s talk TV.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for polarizing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polarizing
dividing
Verb
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The map keeps Salt Lake County almost entirely within one district, instead of dividing the heavily Democratic population center among all four districts, as was previously the case.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Witnesses said the plane crashed into the fence dividing two homes, prompting a gas leak.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Polarizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polarizing. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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