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 Ferguson said that the years of lawsuits and controversies involving the department have contributed to a lack of public trust. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026 Collins’ former chief of staff Brandon Phillips was fired in May after several controversies. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 28 July 2026 Critics have suggested Engelbert be fired for her handling of the league's controversies this season and in recent years. — Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 26 July 2026 Just look at some of the controversies from the last few playoff matchups, and how players such as Aaron Ekblad and Niko Mikkola became villains. — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 25 July 2026 The Belgium players were seemingly fired up by one of the all-time controversies in tournament history. — ABC News, 23 July 2026 Supporters had hoped Platner would be the kind of candidate who could win white working-class voters back to the party, despite controversies including a tattoo widely recognized as a Nazi symbol and a history of inflammatory social media posts. — Jill Colvin, Fortune, 23 July 2026 The 2026 primaries are resurfacing controversies about mail-in ballots that were at the heart of election disputes in 2020. — Andrew E. Busch, The Conversation, 23 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controversies
  1. disputes
  2. disputations
  3. disagreements
  4. debates
  5. quarrels
  6. differences
  7. altercations
  8. arguments
Noun
  • The article also underscores that most ordinary voters pay little or no attention to these calendar disputes, implicitly criticizing party insiders for obsessing over process while the public is focused on daily life and more immediate concerns.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2026
  • And the vast majority of disputes are being won by providers, who are getting payouts that can far exceed the industry standard.
    — Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 1 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
  • Health insurers and hospitals tend to keep their contracts confidential, but, judging from each party’s previous comments, disagreements over reimbursement rates were a key issue throughout the negotiations.
    — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • Galanis' testimony offered jurors a glimpse into the family's disagreements over Melina's travel arrangements and her growing concerns about Frattolin's travel plans with their daughter months before Melina's death.
    — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of disagreements
Noun
  • But the party’s past debates over crime and safety threaten to undermine that pitch.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
  • That finding arrives in the middle of one of the most fractured debates in economics right now — one where even the people building the AI systems can’t agree on what their own data shows.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 30 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
  • These differences likely stem from the fact that keeping kids off screens requires time and money—which wealthy parents tend to have more of.
    — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026
  • But within the leadership, there are sharp differences over what the endgame should be.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Aug. 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

controversial
controversies
controversy
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Cite this Entry

“Controversies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controversies. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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