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Controversial vs Polemical - What's the difference?

controversial | polemical |

As adjectives the difference between controversial and polemical

is that controversial is arousing controversy—a debate or discussion of opposing opinions while polemical is of, or relating to argument or controversy; polemic or contentious.

As a noun polemical is

a diatribe or polemic.

controversial

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Arousing controversy—a debate or discussion of opposing opinions.
  • * (rfdate) Macaulay:
    • Whole libraries of controversial books.

    Usage notes

    * Nouns often used with "controversial": topic, subject, work, author, method, etc.

    Synonyms

    * contentious * contested

    Antonyms

    * uncontroversial * noncontroversial * incontrovertible

    Derived terms

    * controversialness

    Related terms

    * controversialist * controversiality * controversy * controvert * controverter * controvertible

    See also

    * disputatious * polemical * disputable * controvertible * debatable

    External links

    * *

    polemical

    English

    Alternative forms

    * polemicall (obsolete)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Of, or relating to argument or controversy; polemic or contentious.
  • Causing an argument; causing the expression of opposing opinions; disputatious.
  • * 2012 , Craig L. Blomberg, Interpreting the Parables (ISBN 0830866779), page 48:
    • Not only are all these allegations worded in an unnecessarily polemical style, they are also simply false
  • * 2013 , Johannes Zachhuber, Theology as Science in Nineteenth-Century Germany (ISBN 0199641919), page 57:
    • Remarkable here is the rather polemical choice of words

    Synonyms

    * polemic * controversial * disputatious

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A diatribe or polemic.

    • External links

    * *