controversial
adjective
con·tro·ver·sial
ˌkän-trə-ˈvər-shəl 
-ˈvər-sē-əl
1
: of, relating to, or arousing controversy
a controversial policy
a controversial film
2
: given to controversy : disputatious
a controversial temperament
The controversial biologist caused a ferment among his colleagues.
controversially
adverb
Examples of controversial in a Sentence
Abortion is a highly controversial subject.
a decision that remains controversial
He is a controversial author.
Recent Examples on the Web
After coverage of the controversial feature picked up steam, Grammarly introduced an option for experts to opt out of their inclusion in the future.
—
James Peckham, PC Magazine, 12 Mar. 2026
During a new interview with controversial media pundit Tomi Lahren (below), the former Live With Regis and Kathie Lee and Today morning TV personality said she's fed up with using so many specific characters to describe LGBTQ folks.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
With public hearings on three of the year’s most controversial topics, hundreds of concerned residents traveled to the state Capitol complex Wednesday to testify on legislation concerning homeschooling, vaccines, and gun control.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026
After the game, both Bednar and Kadri clearly weren’t happy with the work from the guys in stripes — and not just the decision to eject the team’s leading scoring and league MVP candidate on an unusual and controversial call.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for controversial
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James Peckham, PC Magazine, 12 Mar. 2026
During a new interview with controversial media pundit Tomi Lahren (below), the former Live With Regis and Kathie Lee and Today morning TV personality said she's fed up with using so many specific characters to describe LGBTQ folks.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
With public hearings on three of the year’s most controversial topics, hundreds of concerned residents traveled to the state Capitol complex Wednesday to testify on legislation concerning homeschooling, vaccines, and gun control.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026
After the game, both Bednar and Kadri clearly weren’t happy with the work from the guys in stripes — and not just the decision to eject the team’s leading scoring and league MVP candidate on an unusual and controversial call.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for controversial
Cite this Entry
“Controversial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/controversial. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
controversial
adjective
con·tro·ver·sial
ˌkän-trə-ˈvər-shəl
-ˈvər-sē-əl
: relating to or causing controversy
a controversial movie
controversially
adverb
-ē
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