polemic
noun /pəˈlemɪk/
/pəˈlemɪk/
(formal)- [countable] a speech or a piece of writing that argues very strongly for or against something/somebodyTopics Opinion and argumentc2
- [uncountable] (also polemics [plural])the practice or skill of arguing strongly for or against something/somebody
- Her speech was memorable for its polemic rather than its substance.
Word Originmid 17th cent.: via medieval Latin from Greek polemikos, from polemos ‘war’.