The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word DIALECTIC
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
D
I
A
L
E
C
T
I
C
More clues leading to the result DIALECTIC
- Face leader avoiding furious debate
- Name put down, after reflection, to receive college discourse
- . Face heading off frantic debate?
- Face and body of Juncker twitch in debate
- System of reasoning set up has frantic hospital missing out
- Sort of idle tactic, wasting time in debate
- Discussion with Director to let CIA destabilize India and Cuba
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "debate" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case debate = dialectic.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does DIALECTIC mean?
DIALECTIC noun- Any formal system of reasoning that arrives at a truth by the exchange of logical arguments.
- A contradiction of ideas that serves as the determining factor in their interaction.
- Progress of conflict, especially class conflict.
- Dialectical