polarization
6 synonyms and 3 antonyms for polarization, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The process by which a group, especially a country's electorate, splits into two opposed camps with fewer and fewer people holding middle-ground views.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
The process by which a group, especially a country's electorate, splits into two opposed camps with fewer and fewer people holding middle-ground views.
“Polarization has made it harder to pass any bill with cross-party support.”
Opposites
2. noun
In physics, the restriction of the vibrations of a light or other transverse wave to a single plane or direction.
“Sunglasses reduce glare by filtering out light of one polarization.”
How to use polarization
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Neutral; the political sense is the one now dominant in news writing. British English usually spells it polarisation.
Etymology
From polar, via Latin polaris, from Greek polos 'axis, pole'. The verb polarize adds the verb-forming suffix -ize, and -ation then turns that verb into a noun.
Full origin of polarization →