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
Bucknor, 63, found himself in another swirl of controversy as the first-base umpire on Tuesday.
—
Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Most company owners buried under the weight of such bad press might steer clear of any potential controversy.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 1 Apr. 2026
Ye raps almost convincingly about the past few years of controversy, falling just short of saying anything impactful.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, UConn coach Geno Auriemma is criticizing the NCAA's handling of the women's tournament—a reminder that while the NCAA overhauled women's basketball following a 2021 controversy, things aren't perfect yet.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Most company owners buried under the weight of such bad press might steer clear of any potential controversy.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 1 Apr. 2026
Ye raps almost convincingly about the past few years of controversy, falling just short of saying anything impactful.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, UConn coach Geno Auriemma is criticizing the NCAA's handling of the women's tournament—a reminder that while the NCAA overhauled women's basketball following a 2021 controversy, things aren't perfect yet.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controversy
Noun
-
The high-profile dispute has, over the past year and a half, ensnared several other celebrities in Lively and Baldoni's orbit as the discovery process in their case exposed the stars' private communications.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Owens had expressed frustrations to her mother about an ongoing dispute with her neighbor Susan Lorincz that dated back to February 2022.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Building and construction unions no longer can use their old rhetorical cudgel in this debate — calling prefab homes flimsy and unsafe.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Rothman’s tenure has been marked by his efforts to increase state funding amid federal cuts, debates over free speech on campus amid pro-Palestinian protests, and declining enrollment leading to eight branch campus closures.—
Scott Bauer,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Brockton man charged after allegedly shooting at officers Jailson Andrade, 44, faces several charges after allegedly firing at Brockton Police officers during an altercation early Sunday morning, according to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
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The pair have been in physical altercations in the past, including Manning's 2012 arrest for allegedly punching, scratching, kicking and choking Hartman – whom media outlets have referred to as Manning's former make-up artist and assistant – and slamming her head against the floor and wall.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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
-
But there are issues and there are disagreements and there are hurt feelings.—
Brenton Blanchet,
PEOPLE,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Yes, but major disagreements remained.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Department of Defense’s quarrel with the Anthropic began after the company refused to back down over contractual guardrails around the use of its Claude AI model in autonomous weapons and mass surveillance.—
Devan Cole,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
-
My quarrel is not with the science of LNG itself.—
Joel McPherson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Huskies coach ripped into the officiating during a live TV interview and then had a heated argument with Staley in the final seconds of their 62-48 loss to the Gamecocks.—
David Brandt,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
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The mayor cites recent data to support his arguments.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The confrontation, which led to multiple 911 calls reporting a fight involving a firearm, resulted in the arrest of Ahmad Zeeshan.—
Nikiya Carrero,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The United States Powered Paragliding Association and Experimental Aircraft Association have written letters supporting the ultralight pilots in their fight against the county airport, as cited in the documents under review for the FAA’s upcoming decision.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Controversy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controversy. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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