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
Long was considered an unusual (and controversial—keep reading) choice for the position.
—
Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Marquee mixed doubles Sweeping – and controversial – changes have been made to the mixed doubles competition this year, which will now be staged on August 19 and 20 and include some of the biggest names in the sport.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
The conventional wisdom for arts leaders would be to produce crowd-pleasing plays and musicals that fill seats and avoid alienating potential audiences with controversial subject matter.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
The stars of the TV series have similarly received backlash for their involvement in the expansion of Rowling's franchise because of the author's controversial politics.
—Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for controversial
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Marquee mixed doubles Sweeping – and controversial – changes have been made to the mixed doubles competition this year, which will now be staged on August 19 and 20 and include some of the biggest names in the sport.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
The conventional wisdom for arts leaders would be to produce crowd-pleasing plays and musicals that fill seats and avoid alienating potential audiences with controversial subject matter.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
The stars of the TV series have similarly received backlash for their involvement in the expansion of Rowling's franchise because of the author's controversial politics.
—Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for controversial
Cite this Entry
“Controversial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/controversial. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share