polemical
Involving strongly critical or controversial argument
Examples
In a meeting
“The memo was too polemical for our purposes—we need a more balanced approach.”
Over coffee
“His polemical style on social media gets him into constant arguments.”
Why this word
controversial
polemical means aggressively attacking opposing views in writing or speech, while controversial just means causing disagreement
argumentative
polemical specifically involves formal attack on doctrines or opinions, while argumentative broadly means prone to arguing
critical
polemical indicates strong attack or refutation of ideas, while critical can mean mere evaluation or analysis
Usage tip
Use to describe writing or speech that's aggressively argumentative or combative. Often carries a slightly negative connotation of being overly partisan.
Etymology
Greek: polemikos (warlike) from polemos (war)
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Related words
concise
Giving a lot of information clearly in few words.
refute
To prove a statement or argument is wrong
abbreviate
Shorten a word, phrase, or text
prolixity
The quality of using too many words; excessive wordiness
ellipsis
The omission of words from speech or writing; the punctuation mark indicating this
pejorative
Expressing disapproval or conveying a negative connotation