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 Routine offside decisions were cleared up quickly, except for one aberration in Switzerland vs Qatar, and for once there were no major handball controversies. — Graham Scott, New York Times, 22 July 2026 Schiff said years of reporting detailing undisclosed gifts, financial conflicts of interest and controversies involving Supreme Court justices have undermined public confidence in the federal judiciary and prompted the legislative package. — Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2026 Marty Makary resigned as FDA commissioner in May, and controversies during his tenure got most of the attention. — Avik Roy, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 Here’s a look at some of the previous controversies the lawmaker has been at the center of. — Ilana Arougheti july 21, Kansas City Star, 21 July 2026 These controversies highlighted broader concerns regarding consistency, predictability, and transparency in the drug review process. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 14 July 2026 The works are scheduled to go on display in Europe, and the trove’s impending departure has ignited one of Mexico’s most heated cultural controversies in recent memory. — Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026 There have been no shortage of controversies at this year’s World Cup, which enters its final leg this with the final match happening Sunday. — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 14 July 2026 Trust metrics slipped as well, a decline the report links to a run of editorial controversies during the year. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controversies
  1. disputes
  2. disputations
  3. disagreements
  4. debates
  5. quarrels
  6. differences
  7. altercations
  8. arguments
Noun
  • That explains why your initial disputes with PayPal and American Express were denied.
    — Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 17 July 2026
  • Smart contracts, tokenized assets, validator activity, and decentralized networks can create disputes that do not fit neatly within traditional commercial frameworks.
    — Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 17 July 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
  • The disagreements were intelligent, experienced, and specific — and reading them in bulk did not soften my view.
    — Sachin H. Jain, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
  • Recent tensions over immigration enforcement The allegations follow recent disagreements between Abarca and Forté over a legislative hearing examining local agencies’ involvement in a federal operation at La Fontanella Foods.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 17 July 2026
Definition of disagreements
Noun
  • But in later debates, the two Republicans were more likely to take aim at the Democrats on stage than each other.
    — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
  • In Nolan’s film, people refer to the gods, but there are no divine debates on Olympus, and, indeed, the only member of the classical Greek pantheon who actually appears is Athena (Zendaya), watching over the action intermittently.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 15 July 2026
Definition of debates
Noun
  • 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
  • Rounding out the top five names were seven write-in votes for the Sacramento Capitals or Capitols — which could be nicknamed the Caps to avoid quarrels over the spelling — and six votes for the Sacramento Stingers or Sting, referencing the collegiate Sacramento State Hornets.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 4 June 2026
Definition of quarrels
Noun
  • For such a small island, the differences between north and south are huge.
    — Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • But there are key differences between the survivors, Tuck noted.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
Definition of differences
Noun
  • Often, altercations involving a resident with dementia erupt after danger signals are missed or ineffectively addressed, according to a KFF Health News examination of court records, police reports, and state and federal inspection reports.
    — Jordan Rau, NPR, 19 July 2026
  • Retired Miami Heat forward and captain Udonis Haslem found himself in more than a few altercations during his NBA playing career.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026
Definition of altercations
Noun
  • Yolo County Deputy District Attorney Alex Kian told jurors during closing arguments that Dominguez chose to attack his victims, repeatedly stab them and flee afterward.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 21 July 2026
  • As the battle for grass fields escalates, the lawyer in me can’t resist sharing the arguments for and against switching entirely to grass.
    — Jacob Robinson, New York Times, 21 July 2026
Definition of arguments

Browse Nearby Words

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controversies
controversy
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Cite this Entry

“Controversies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controversies. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of controversies for Spanish Speakers

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