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
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 controversy
Meanwhile, the state AG’s race between Jones and Miyares tightened to an apparent toss-up amid a major controversy.
—
Kevin Breuninger,dan Mangan, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
The controversy has led to some social media users calling for a boycott of Sephora.
—Reia Li, AZCentral.com, 4 Nov. 2025
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) put out a statement Tuesday addressing a sudden controversy involving a player who previously failed a genetic test.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Even if Sabrina got away with most of Short n’ Sweet, for example, her Man’s Best Friend album cover garnered a level of controversy that honestly felt overblown.
—Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Kevin Breuninger,dan Mangan, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
The controversy has led to some social media users calling for a boycott of Sephora.
—Reia Li, AZCentral.com, 4 Nov. 2025
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) put out a statement Tuesday addressing a sudden controversy involving a player who previously failed a genetic test.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Even if Sabrina got away with most of Short n’ Sweet, for example, her Man’s Best Friend album cover garnered a level of controversy that honestly felt overblown.
—Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controversy
Noun
-
Diplomacy is critical to resolve disputes such as the Helmand River conflict, while the government must manage human and economic effects—such as shrinking harvests and salt-dust health risks.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The streaming service lost 21 channels after the live TV provider's contract dispute with The Walt Disney Company ended in an impasse.—
Jenny Porter Tilley,
Louisville Courier Journal,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The potential use of AI in esports — or competitive gaming — has sparked debate, however.—
Lucy Handley,
CNBC,
1 Nov. 2025
-
Now, Bryan’s latest song has stirred debate over how far immigration enforcement should go and who gets caught in its reach, and whether their hometown country star crossed a line by wading into politics.—
Tyler Kingkade,
NBC news,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Kings trailed by 15 when the altercation occurred.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
2 Nov. 2025
-
During a 2020 interview with DJ VLAD, Mack 10 rehashed the near-altercation with Common and reiterated that Fat Joe stepped in to smooth things over.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
31 Oct. 2025
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
-
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
Noun
-
The dispute could affect billions of dollars in cross-border trade and set a new precedent for handling disagreements over the use of public figures and historic addresses in political messaging.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The sentiment is consistent across political party affiliations, with 75% of Republicans, 82% of Independents and 79% of Democrats expressing disagreement.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
De Silva, police noted, was an innocent bystander who was not involved in the quarrel and was not believed to have been the target.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Marta and Antonio, partners of many years, quarrel and suddenly break up.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Whether the arguments brought by Whalen and Fuentes have traction will now be decided by an arbitrator, not a judge.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Robinson rejected Towers’ arguments that the settlements were invalid due to mutual mistake or missing formal signatures.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
When police arrived, however, there was no sign of any fight or crime scene.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
-
In his eight wins, all eight have come inside the distance, with only two fights seeing a second round.—
Brett Appley,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Controversy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controversy. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share