1. a person who engages in controversial argument, especially attacking or refuting the opinions or principles of another

Examples

• The famous polemicist wrote scathing critiques of government policy.
• As a skilled polemicist, she could dismantle opposing arguments with ease.
• The newspaper hired him as a polemicist to write provocative opinion pieces.
• Many considered the author more of a polemicist than a serious scholar.
• The debate featured two well-known polemicists from opposite sides of the issue.
• His reputation as a polemicist made him both feared and respected in academic circles.