controversies

noun

plural of controversy
1
as in disputes
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 disputations
variance of opinion on a matter there is considerable controversy regarding the assassination of President Kennedy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of controversies The Fever have won seven of their last nine despite being the focal point of so many controversies. — CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026 But their success on the floor has often been subsumed by controversies. — Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026 Tangent Lindell has faced several controversies during the campaign. — Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 Old tweets haunt Democratic candidate Can Hong get past controversies? — Terry Collins, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026 While the charges against LeVota continue to roil Jackson County, some leaders are hoping the fractured county can soon move past its longstanding controversies. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 11 Aug. 2026 As Crowley sprinted across the state to capture undecided voters, Hong was batting down controversies. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026 But controversies tied to the people around him — most recently antisemitic and white nationalist social media posts by his son-in-law — have dogged him throughout his campaign. — Tia Mitchell, AJC.com, 6 Aug. 2026 Embattled Central Florida Congressman Cory Mills faced off in a fiery primary debate with three fellow Republicans Wednesday evening, in which the political issues were largely overshadowed by his many controversies. — Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controversies
  1. disputes
  2. disputations
  3. disagreements
  4. debates
  5. quarrels
  6. differences
  7. altercations
  8. arguments
Noun
  • Four seasons later, the veteran defensive tackle has returned to a different team — one that missed the playoffs for the first time in six years, is reeling over contract disputes and is looking to rebuild on both sides of the ball.
    — Abby DiSalvo, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The space is more neutral, particularly if disputes between roommates must be mediated or there are other sensitive matters, according to Max Koskoff, associate director for regional campus programs.
    — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of disputes
Noun
  • According to him, advances in machine learning have yanked questions once trapped inside theological/philosophical disputations into corporate board packs.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2025
Definition of disputations
Noun
  • At other times these techniques were employed amid disagreements between African American individuals, arising from issues such as economic competition or romantic jealousy.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
  • But ongoing disagreements between LAWA and LINXS continue, and extensive 30-day testing that would need to be completed before the train’s opening would move the project date back further to late 2026.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of disagreements
Noun
  • There have also been several divisive debates around credit and attribution.
    — Anisha Sircar, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • There will be debates about taxes, energy policy, and the trajectory of this state, and voters deserve to see those disagreements fought out in full.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of debates
Noun
  • On the new series, some House of Stassi castmembers raised their quarrels with Maloney joining their cast.
    — McKinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Candi is the family mediator Like any father-daughter coaching dynamic, Corey and Coco have had their fair share of quarrels on the tennis court.
    — Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 9 July 2026
Definition of quarrels
Noun
  • Aside from gameplay, the real blow-your-socks-off differences are in franchise mode where the team has put their money where their proverbial mouth is with the best version of the iconic feature.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The researchers also detected differences in the brain activity associated with faces showing fear versus anger or sadness.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of differences
Noun
  • Simple assault are altercations and incidents that don’t involve weapons or serious injuries, including domestic incidents.
    — Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026
  • In court filings, ex-wife Emily Moreno alleged that Miller has repeatedly had physical and verbal altercations with her attorney, Andrew Zashin, after recent court hearings in an ongoing custody battle.
    — Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Definition of altercations
Noun
  • That argument, however, did not go far with Hall, nor did his other arguments.
    — Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Similarly, Sweeney was unpersuaded by NCAA legal arguments that, as a private, membership association, it is owed deference in making business judgments before findings of antitrust liability.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of arguments

Browse Nearby Words

controversial
controversies
controversy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Controversies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controversies. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on controversies

Nglish: Translation of controversies for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All