Definition of "polemics" [po•lem•ics]

• The art or practice of argumentation or controversy. (noun)
• The practice of theological controversy to refute errors of doctrine. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "To use “The Innocents Abroad” in polemics is thus a bit weird."
• "What distinguished certain polemics from the purely theological discussions of the period (Abelard, Peter Lombard, Peter the Chanter, Robert of Courson, Guido de Orchellis) was the occasional explicit acknowledgment of real anxiety over the potential death of the child."
• "The Webkit team, as a rhizomatic offshoot from Apple, has a similar development pedigree and has consistently produced a high quality — now cross-platform — open source project, nary engaging in polemics or politics."