1
as in dispute
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 debate
variance of opinion on a matter
there is considerable controversy regarding the assassination of President Kennedy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of controversy
But despite the controversy, one thing is clear in all the data and debate: Any possible association with low IQ and fluoridation only occurs at excessive levels—levels more than twice the amount used in the US and recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—
Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 30 May 2025
Discussion about both major parties’ strategies for the 2026 and 2028 elections began swiftly after the 2024 elections, and President Trump’s dramatic second clinching of the presidency, following much controversy in the years prior.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 29 May 2025
Immigration With immigration policies at the forefront of national controversy, Uthmeier has been a key player in Florida’s enforcement of its immigration laws.
—Vivienne Serret, Miami Herald, 29 May 2025
The leniency has led to notable controversies in the past, which the TV Academy had no real issue correcting.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 30 May 2025
Discussion about both major parties’ strategies for the 2026 and 2028 elections began swiftly after the 2024 elections, and President Trump’s dramatic second clinching of the presidency, following much controversy in the years prior.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 29 May 2025
Immigration With immigration policies at the forefront of national controversy, Uthmeier has been a key player in Florida’s enforcement of its immigration laws.
—Vivienne Serret, Miami Herald, 29 May 2025
The leniency has led to notable controversies in the past, which the TV Academy had no real issue correcting.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controversy
Noun
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Phan was convicted of shooting up a high school graduation party after a dispute, killing an 18-year-old and a 15-year-old.—
Greg Wehner , Bill Melugin,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2025
-
Officials from the United States and China met in London to talk about a range of different disputes that are separating them.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
Noun
-
This is thematically tied to the internal debate at Arsenal over the No 9 position.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
6 June 2025
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But how can any form of love take one side in a debate?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
This wasn’t the first altercation to take place at one of Beyoncé’s recent shows.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
7 June 2025
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The jail altercation has since escalated into a wider conflict between the Sheriff’s Office and the Broward State Attorney’s Office.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
7 June 2025
Noun
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Jake is a single father who has brought Kristen up in the severe Calvinist tradition, marked by Bible disputations of Talmudic intricacy and by a radical detachment from secular and popular culture.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2023
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Seven decades later, this culture of disputation emerged as a central theme in Timothy Garton Ash’s The Magic Lantern, his eyewitness report on the Eastern European revolutions of 1989.—
Susie Linfield,
The New York Review of Books,
11 May 2022
Noun
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The suit recounts numerous comments made by Trump and the White House attacking PBS’ content, to underscore the point that the defunding is motivated by disagreement over speech.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
30 May 2025
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The question – at the center of disagreements over transgender athletes’ participation in sports – has echoed from high school running tracks to Olympic arenas as lawmakers and sports bodies face intense pressure to weigh in on a debate over what fair play looks like.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
29 May 2025
Noun
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Paramount Pictures Cohen et al. give a shoutout in their introduction to Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, specifically the longstanding quarrel between the people of Lilliput and Blefuscu on the best orientation for cracking an egg.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
26 May 2025
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The whole saga, with Zelenskyy risking U.S. support through his quarrel with Trump before ultimately backing down, demonstrates how unprepared the Ukrainian leader was to engage with the new administration.—
Evan Nierman,
Baltimore Sun,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
June 26: The Supreme Court upholds parts of the ban and schedules oral arguments for October.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
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But Circuit Judge John Jordan issued an 18-page decision that rejected the arguments.—
News Service Of Florida,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 June 2025
Noun
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Without a leader and facing a fight over its budget, NASA faces an uncertain future, both in the months ahead and longer term.—
Wendy Whitman Cobb,
The Conversation,
3 June 2025
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Police responded to Catawba Valley Boulevard early in the morning on April 6, where shots had been fired into a crowd during a fight.—
Jeff A. Chamer,
Charlotte Observer,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Controversy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controversy. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.
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