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
Rodgers' relationship history has been the subject of widespread coverage and controversy throughout his NFL career.
—
Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 24 June 2025
The sailors who’d joined the Shenandoah’s ranks caused the most controversy, as signing up to fight for another nation was prohibited under the terms of Britain’s Foreign Enlistment Act.
—Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 June 2025
The host has since addressed the controversy on tour and in a stand-up special, Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval, which aired on Netflix.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2025
At the heart of the controversy over Iran’s nuclear program is its enrichment of uranium – a process used to produce fuel for power plants that, at higher levels, can also be used to make a nuclear bomb.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 24 June 2025
The sailors who’d joined the Shenandoah’s ranks caused the most controversy, as signing up to fight for another nation was prohibited under the terms of Britain’s Foreign Enlistment Act.
—Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 June 2025
The host has since addressed the controversy on tour and in a stand-up special, Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval, which aired on Netflix.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2025
At the heart of the controversy over Iran’s nuclear program is its enrichment of uranium – a process used to produce fuel for power plants that, at higher levels, can also be used to make a nuclear bomb.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controversy
Noun
-
News to Know Wisconsin lawsuit accuses Miami of tampering In the latest legal dispute amid the changing landscape of college sports, the University of Wisconsin filed a lawsuit against the University of Miami yesterday for allegedly tampering with a football player.—
and Alex Kirshner,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
-
The simmering dispute comes as protesters showed up at Dodger Stadium on Thursday to decry Dodgers’ silence amidst immigration raids and unrest in Los Angeles.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
21 June 2025
Noun
-
Those and another 13 will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday’s debate will air at 7 p.m. on ABC 10News.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 June 2025
-
Yet these kinds of debates are everywhere across U.S. sports.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
17 June 2025
Noun
-
Santana declined to discuss specifics of what prompted the altercation.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
20 June 2025
-
Santana said the altercation took place somewhere around the seventh inning.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
For decades, Kahneman and Gary Klein, a psychologist who researches naturalistic decision-making, had a running disagreement about whether human intuition could be trusted.—
Gabriel Snyder,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
-
Though the talks fell apart over disagreements on what measures North Korea would take toward disarmament and Trump’s reluctance to offer sanctions relief, the summits ended on a surprisingly hopeful note, with the two leaders walking away as pen pals.—
Max Kim,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2025
Noun
-
Victor Bautista got into an argument with his killer in front of NYCHA’s Moore Houses, across the street from troubled St. Mary’s Park, in Mott Haven about 7:45 a.m. As the quarrel escalated, the gunman shot Bautista in the chest near Trinity Ave.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
17 June 2025
-
The canvas brims with characters who casually kill but also love, laugh, quarrel.—
Anupama Chopra,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2025
Noun
-
Where there’s argument is in their belief not just that the Fed was the principal cause of the Great Depression, but that having allegedly caused it, the Fed could have somehow ended it.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
-
The news outlets say that the argument runs contrary to what OpenAI tells its users about being subject to retaining data if the law requires it.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
Amid the physical fights during each game, the broader battle between Gi-hun and the Front Man has always been existential: Are people worth saving?—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
27 June 2025
-
Then, in 2019, the Supreme Court ruled that federal courts do not have a role to play in deciding legal fights over partisan gerrymandering, when state's voting lines are drawn to entrench the political party in power.—
June 27,
CBS News,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Controversy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controversy. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share