1
as in dispute
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
the seemingly imperishable controversy over the teaching of evolution
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in debate
variance of opinion on a matter
there is considerable controversy regarding the assassination of President Kennedy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of controversy
But despite the controversy, one thing is clear in all the data and debate: Any possible association with low IQ and fluoridation only occurs at excessive levels—levels more than twice the amount used in the US and recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—
Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 30 May 2025
Discussion about both major parties’ strategies for the 2026 and 2028 elections began swiftly after the 2024 elections, and President Trump’s dramatic second clinching of the presidency, following much controversy in the years prior.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 29 May 2025
Immigration With immigration policies at the forefront of national controversy, Uthmeier has been a key player in Florida’s enforcement of its immigration laws.
—Vivienne Serret, Miami Herald, 29 May 2025
The leniency has led to notable controversies in the past, which the TV Academy had no real issue correcting.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 30 May 2025
Discussion about both major parties’ strategies for the 2026 and 2028 elections began swiftly after the 2024 elections, and President Trump’s dramatic second clinching of the presidency, following much controversy in the years prior.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 29 May 2025
Immigration With immigration policies at the forefront of national controversy, Uthmeier has been a key player in Florida’s enforcement of its immigration laws.
—Vivienne Serret, Miami Herald, 29 May 2025
The leniency has led to notable controversies in the past, which the TV Academy had no real issue correcting.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controversy
Noun
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Those CBAs also require that should there be a dispute as to whether the league, a club, a union, or a player abided by their obligations under the CBA, such dispute be settled through a confidential arbitration process.—
Chris Deubert,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
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The Supreme Court on May 27 declined to get involved in a dispute about mining on land sacred to the San Carlos Apache Tribe, a case that religious groups backed to test the scope of a 1993 federal law protecting religious freedom.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
28 May 2025
Noun
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This is thematically tied to the internal debate at Arsenal over the No 9 position.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
6 June 2025
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What To Know On Wednesday, nine Democratic candidates faced off in a two-hour debate.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
Noun
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Jaques said officers at 7:49 a.m. on Sunday received a complaint from a woman who reported that someone was following her vehicle while waving a gun following an altercation at a local gas station.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
27 May 2025
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Initial data provided by the department suggest that practicing the martial art not only helps boost officers' physical and mental health, but also enables cops to use less force during an arrest or altercation.—
Katja Ridderbusch,
NPR,
26 May 2025
Noun
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Jake is a single father who has brought Kristen up in the severe Calvinist tradition, marked by Bible disputations of Talmudic intricacy and by a radical detachment from secular and popular culture.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2023
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Seven decades later, this culture of disputation emerged as a central theme in Timothy Garton Ash’s The Magic Lantern, his eyewitness report on the Eastern European revolutions of 1989.—
Susie Linfield,
The New York Review of Books,
11 May 2022
Noun
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The suit recounts numerous comments made by Trump and the White House attacking PBS’ content, to underscore the point that the defunding is motivated by disagreement over speech.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
30 May 2025
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The question – at the center of disagreements over transgender athletes’ participation in sports – has echoed from high school running tracks to Olympic arenas as lawmakers and sports bodies face intense pressure to weigh in on a debate over what fair play looks like.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
29 May 2025
Noun
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The defense attorney suggested that Cassie’s rape allegation stemmed from a complicated quarrel playing out as their decade-plus relationship came to an end.—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Vulture,
16 May 2025
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Other great powers will have their territorial goals and quarrels and this does not normally concern you.—
Frank Lavin,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
Noun
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But Circuit Judge John Jordan issued an 18-page decision that rejected the arguments.—
News Service Of Florida,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 June 2025
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June 26: The Supreme Court upholds parts of the ban and schedules oral arguments for October.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
Noun
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Police responded to Catawba Valley Boulevard early in the morning on April 6, where shots had been fired into a crowd during a fight.—
Jeff A. Chamer,
Charlotte Observer,
3 June 2025
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This is not the first time a fight has broken out at a Disney park.—
Moná Thomas,
People.com,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Controversy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controversy. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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