Meanings
present singular third person polarizes · participle present polarizing · participle past polarized · past polarized · alternative polarise
- UStransitiveTo cause to have a polarization.
To polarize, and indeed, to artificially distinguish between the secular and the religious is to dismiss the inarguable Judeo-Christian foundation of contemporary secular institutions.
1979 August 11, Lisa Capaldini, “Lessons From History”, in Gay Community News, volume 7, number 4, page 4 - UStransitiveTo cause a group to be divided into extremes.
The deal has polarized Twitter employees, users, and regulators over the power tech giants wield in determining the parameters of acceptable discourse on the internet and how those companies enforce their rules.
2022 April 26, Cara Lombardo, Meghan Bobrowsky, Georgia Wells, “Musk Strikes Deal to Buy Twitter”, in The Wall Street Journal, volume 279, number 96, Dow Jones & Company, News Corp, page 1
Synonyms & antonyms
verbcause to concentrate about two conflicting or contrasting positions
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frenchpolariser
- Englishpolarize
From French polariser, equivalent to polar + -ize.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian поляризирам
- поляризирам (poljariziram)to cause to have a polarization
Catalan polaritzar, polaritzar
- polaritzarto cause to have a polarization
- polaritzarto cause a group to be divided into extremes
Czech polarizovat
- polarizovatto cause to have a polarization
Esperanto polarizi
- polarizito cause to have a polarization
Finnish polarisoida, jakaa
- polarisoidato cause to have a polarization
- jakaato cause a group to be divided into extremes
- polarisoidato cause a group to be divided into extremes
German polarisieren, polarisieren
- polarisierento cause to have a polarization
- polarisierento cause a group to be divided into extremes
Polish polaryzować, spolaryzować
- polaryzowaćto cause to have a polarization
- spolaryzowaćto cause to have a polarization
- polaryzowaćto cause a group to be divided into extremes
- spolaryzowaćto cause a group to be divided into extremes
Portuguese polarizar, polarizar
- polarizarto cause to have a polarization
- polarizarto cause a group to be divided into extremes
Spanish polarizar, polarizar
- polarizarto cause to have a polarization
- polarizarto cause a group to be divided into extremes
Tagalog sataluktukin
- sataluktukinto cause to have a polarization
Cite this entry
polarize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polarize
“polarize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polarize. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “polarize,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polarize.
Source: polarize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.