polemic
noun
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Diatribe, jeremiad, philippic … the English language sure has a lot of formal words for the things we say or write when we are—to use a decidedly less formal term—big mad. We will refrain from going on a tirade about it, however, especially since it’s good to have options with subtle differences in tone and meaning. Polemic, which traces back ultimately to the Greek word for war, polemos, is the word you want to refer specifically to an aggressive attack on someone’s ideas or principles. Someone who is cheesed off because they don’t like cheese, for example, wouldn’t write a polemic about it. A turophile upset about the gustatory philosophy behind their local cheesemonger’s recent offerings just might.
Examples of polemic in a Sentence
Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 8 May 2024
Without going on too much of a polemic about it, it must be said that on the beach in the summer of 2024 there is no excuse for you as a man to wear a swimsuit that sits anywhere close to your knee.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Apr. 2024
Other people had a problem with my U.S. citizenship because of the political polemic between Nixon’s office’s involvement in the very violent Chilean military coup.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024
An untitled docu-series inspired by Akala’s best-selling book Natives, which is part biography and part polemic on race and class, has also been commissioned by BBC Documentaries.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for polemic 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'polemic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near polemic
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“Polemic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polemic. Accessed 14 Jul. 2024.
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polemic
noun
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