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
Karla Sofía Gascón is opening up about how the firestorm following her recent controversy has affected her mental health.
—
Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 8 Mar. 2025
Though no one referenced the Baldoni controversy directly, support for Lively among her collaborators was clear.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 8 Mar. 2025
The Color Purple should be the lasting career touchstone for both Goldberg and Winfrey, its genuine popularity sustained through perennial TV runs and word of mouth, despite critical and industry controversy.
—Armond White, National Review, 7 Mar. 2025
The madhouse of awards season and all its many, many controversies — not to mention an ongoing parade of natural and man-made disasters — has until now perhaps overshadowed some of the year’s lower-stakes joys.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 8 Mar. 2025
Though no one referenced the Baldoni controversy directly, support for Lively among her collaborators was clear.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 8 Mar. 2025
The Color Purple should be the lasting career touchstone for both Goldberg and Winfrey, its genuine popularity sustained through perennial TV runs and word of mouth, despite critical and industry controversy.
—Armond White, National Review, 7 Mar. 2025
The madhouse of awards season and all its many, many controversies — not to mention an ongoing parade of natural and man-made disasters — has until now perhaps overshadowed some of the year’s lower-stakes joys.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controversy
Noun
-
The White House is trying to have it every way possible in a high-stakes dispute over its speedy deportation of hundreds of immigrants to El Salvador.—
Philip Elliott,
TIME,
17 Mar. 2025
-
The dispute came after President Donald Trump invoked a centuries-old law that would give him the ability to deport any noncitizen with little to no due process.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
OpenAI is hoping that Donald Trump's AI Action Plan, due out this July, will settle copyright debates by declaring AI training fair use—paving the way for AI companies' unfettered access to training data that OpenAI claims is critical to defeat China in the AI race.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
13 Mar. 2025
-
Apple’s views on the age-verification debate largely echo Google's.—
Jibin Joseph,
PCMAG,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The 18-year-old’s boyfriend was seen in the footage attempting to stop the altercation.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
14 Mar. 2025
-
The sole witness to the altercation was the car’s driver, who testified at the trial through an Urdu language translator.—
Rebecca Keegan,
The Hollywood Reporter,
14 Mar. 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
-
And yet there is one aspect of the book which was notable: a disputation of the Richard Wrangham's work in Demonic Males.—
Razib Khan,
Discover Magazine,
22 Apr. 2013
Noun
-
Daylight saving time isn’t going away anytime soon While all but two states in the U.S. continue to observe daylight saving time, there is still disagreement about whether the practice should be eliminated or made permanent.—
Kevinisha Walker,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2025
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Under the current system, the council’s discretion to overturn such decisions is limited to when there has been a procedural error — not a disagreement about historic value.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The quarrel swiftly escalated when Perez allegedly struck her twice on the left side of her temple and pulled her hair.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
26 Feb. 2025
-
As the quarrel over seating escalated, the attacker, who was wearing a black face mask, slashed the victim on his left hand with an unknown weapon.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Putin reiterated at several times during his Thursday news conference the Kremlin’s argument that a temporary 30-day ceasefire would benefit Ukraine, potentially allowing the country to regroup and have more weapons delivered.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN,
14 Mar. 2025
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The pushing back of opening arguments by a week was an acknowledgment by the judge that litigating some of those issues could take additional time.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Gibson notably was seen just this weekend alongside FBI Director Kash Patel attending a UFC fight in Las Vegas.—
Alexander Mallin,
ABC News,
11 Mar. 2025
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One of the mysteries of the UFC’s 2025 fight calendar has centered around Dustin Poirier’s retirement fight.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Controversy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controversy. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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