as in divides
to cause (people) to break up into opposing groups
A hot button issue that is sure to polarize the public.
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Recent Examples of polarizes
The group polarizes into shifting alliances as battle lines are drawn and re-drawn throughout the dinner party, the conflict between and within the women serving as choreography for the shifting relationships.
—
Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
But the White House is also risking a wider fracture over an issue that rarely polarizes the GOP.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 27 Jan. 2026
As technology distracts, polarizes and automates, people are still finding refuge on analog islands in the digital sea.
—Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2025
Content that outrages, polarizes or triggers anxiety keeps us watching.
—Avital Pardo, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
But the White House is also risking a wider fracture over an issue that rarely polarizes the GOP.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 27 Jan. 2026
As technology distracts, polarizes and automates, people are still finding refuge on analog islands in the digital sea.
—Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2025
Content that outrages, polarizes or triggers anxiety keeps us watching.
—Avital Pardo, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polarizes
divides
Verb
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At the end of the fiscal year, the DOC determines its spending across areas like prison upkeep, the cost of settling lawsuits and workers’ claims, then divides that cost among all the people who were incarcerated at the time, Barrett said.—
Laura Tillman,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
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The model divides decision-making into three layers, including base, action, and evaluation.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Polarizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polarizes. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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