Synonyms of polemical

polemical

adjective

pə-ˈle-mi-kəl 

variants also polemic

1

as in controversial

given to arguing

during the Middle Ages even theologians could be surprisingly polemical in their writings

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

2

as in contentious

relating to or causing the expression of opposing opinions

an unnecessarily polemical look at the supposed incompatibility between science and religion

Synonyms & Similar Words

• contentious
• controversial
• argumentative
• difficult
• disputatious
• tough
• problematic
• hot-button
• touchy
• thorny
• knotty
• ticklish
• spiny
• delicate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• safe
• indisputable
• undeniable
• incontrovertible
• incontestable
• unquestionable
• uncontroversial
• indubitable
• noncontroversial
• irrefutable
• undisputed
• uncontested

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of polemical

In her account, Richmond indeed emerges as its progenitor—through his theorizing, his behind-the-scenes parliamentary and polemical maneuvering, and his patronage of Thomas Paine. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 8 June 2026

The slapstick titles—Crackned Horsez, To of Them, Ape Island, all 1972—further stymied any straightforwardly polemical takeaway. — Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026

The Wall Street Journal editorial board has recommended Congress review funding for materials that appear polemical, given that both FJC and NAS receive taxpayer support. — Dan Eberhart, Forbes.com, 3 Mar. 2026

Yet as Fennell has proved in a slew of interviews about the already polemical film, released Friday, the relationship between Brontë’s Gothic epic and its latest adaptation is more complicated than that. — Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2026