1
as in contentious
relating to or causing the expression of opposing opinions
tried to avoid controversial topics over the holiday dinner table
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in aggressive
given to arguing
controversial by temperament, she's the sort of political attack dog who kills all hope of bipartisanship
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of controversial
Long a controversial figure, Brand has fallen out of public grace amid reports of alleged rape and assaults.
—
Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 3 May 2025
But the bill’s Democratic sponsors — Sens. Chris Kolker and Faith Winter — fully removed the bill’s most controversial provision: a new requirement for family-court judges to consider one parent’s misgendering or deadnaming of their child in custody proceedings.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 1 May 2025
Some fans of Hugh Jackman have praised him for showing loyalty to his friend, Ryan Reynolds, by embracing him on the red carpet before Monday night’s screening of a new movie starring Reynolds’ controversial wife, Blake Lively.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 1 May 2025
Or maybe Nintendo will issue one of those controversial upgrade packs for the game, allowing owners to bring Super Mario Odyssey over to the Switch 2 with new bells and whistles.
—Mitch Wallace, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for controversial
Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 3 May 2025
But the bill’s Democratic sponsors — Sens. Chris Kolker and Faith Winter — fully removed the bill’s most controversial provision: a new requirement for family-court judges to consider one parent’s misgendering or deadnaming of their child in custody proceedings.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 1 May 2025
Some fans of Hugh Jackman have praised him for showing loyalty to his friend, Ryan Reynolds, by embracing him on the red carpet before Monday night’s screening of a new movie starring Reynolds’ controversial wife, Blake Lively.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 1 May 2025
Or maybe Nintendo will issue one of those controversial upgrade packs for the game, allowing owners to bring Super Mario Odyssey over to the Switch 2 with new bells and whistles.
—Mitch Wallace, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for controversial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controversial
Adjective
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Crawford says the meetings were contentious, but Ekard was always cordial yet firm.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 May 2025
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That series has been contentious, dramatic and super close — Game 5 was decided by three points, Game 4 by one and Game 3 by two.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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But in recent weeks, Musk dramatically lowered his taxpayer savings estimates from DOGE's government cuts, disagreed publicly with Trump's aggressive tariff policies and butted heads with multiple Trump officials, some publicly, revealing divisions within the White House over Musk's influence.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2025
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After Leandro Trossard’s red card, the approach became even more aggressive — City’s entire team was essentially camped inside or on the edge of Arsenal’s box.—
Conor O'Neill,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Controversial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controversial. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
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