polarize

verb

po·​lar·​ize ˈpō-lə-ˌrīz 

polarized; polarizing

transitive verb

1

: to cause to vibrate in a definite pattern

polarize light waves

2

: to give physical polarity to

3

: to break up into opposing factions or groupings

a campaign that polarized the electorate

4

: concentrate sense 1

recreate a cohesive rock community by polarizing … an amorphous, fragmented audience

—Ellen Willis

intransitive verb

: to become polarized

polarizability

ˌpō-lə-ˌrī-zə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

Examples of polarize in a Sentence

The war has polarized the nation.

The current debate polarizes along lines of class and race.

Recent Examples on the Web

Another study, conducted by researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, found bias in several open source AI models on polarizing issues such as immigration, reproductive rights, and climate change. —Will Knight, WIRED, 30 Oct. 2024

Trump blamed Schwarzenegger for the ratings, but Schwarzenegger blamed Trump’s polarizing politics and an already declining viewership for the show’s decline. —Brooke Seipel, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2024

Despite being a polarizing figure who Republicans tried to blame for all manner of criminal justice issues in Cook County, Foxx easily won her general election campaigns in 2016 and in 2020, though that year by a smaller margin. —A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2024

News of the honor comes on the heels of Coppola’s latest film, the polarizing Megalopolis, which struggled to find an audience upon its release and finished with a worldwide cume of $12.5 million on a budget of $120 million. —Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French polariser, from New Latin polaris polar

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

polarize

verb

po·​lar·​ize ˈpō-lə-ˌrīz 

polarized; polarizing

1

: to cause to vibrate (as light waves) in a definite pattern

2

: to give physical polarity to

3

: to break up into opposing groups

4

: to become polarized

polarization noun

Medical Definition

polarize

verb

po·​lar·​ize

variants also British polarise

ˈpō-lə-ˌrīz 

polarized also British polarised; polarizing also British polarising

transitive verb

1

: to cause (as light waves) to vibrate in a definite pattern

2

: to give physical polarity to

intransitive verb

: to become polarized