verb · formal
polarize
UK/ˈpəʊləraɪz/US/ˈpoʊləˌraɪz/PO·la·rize
to cause people or opinions to divide into two sharply contrasting groups or sets of beliefs
Examples
“The debate polarized voters into two clear camps.”
“Media coverage can polarize public opinion on sensitive issues.”
“The policy risked polarizing communities that had previously cooperated.”
Band 8 sentence
“Persistent media bias has polarized the electorate, making compromise between parties increasingly difficult.”
Collocations
- polarize public opinion
- become polarized
- deeply polarize
Word family
Common mistakes
The issue polarized between the two groups.→The issue polarized the two groups.
This topic polarize people.→This topic polarizes people.
Say it for a higher band
5divide→6split→7+polarize
Synonyms
divide
split
Easily confused
divide
“The new policy divided opinion among local residents.”
Related words
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In -ize
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