# polemic

> English word · Noun · IPA /pəˈlɛmɪk/ · frequency rank #45,007

## Definitions
1. A person who writes in support of one opinion, doctrine, or system, in opposition to another; one skilled in polemics; a controversialist; a disputant.
2. An argument or controversy.
3. A strong verbal or written attack on someone or something.

## Etymology
From French polémique, from Ancient Greek πολεμικός (polemikós, “of war”), from πόλεμος (pólemos, “war”). By surface analysis, polem- + -ic.

## Easily confused with
- **politic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/polemic-vs-politic)
- **poetic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/poetic-vs-polemic)

## Common misspellings (10)
`oplemic`, `ploemic`, `poelmic`, `poleimc`, `polemci`, `polemicc`, `polemmic`, `pollemic`, `polmeic`, `ppolemic`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/polemic