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
Despite the fierce controversy, Homan claimed the ICE operation in Minnesota has been a success.
—
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
The opportunity for a second team gold medal comes after the 2022 Olympic title came with controversy.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Read more on the controversy surrounding the deal.
—Marissa Martinez, NBC news, 4 Feb. 2026
Other documentaries have not been immune from controversy.
—Debbie Millman, Time, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
The opportunity for a second team gold medal comes after the 2022 Olympic title came with controversy.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Read more on the controversy surrounding the deal.
—Marissa Martinez, NBC news, 4 Feb. 2026
Other documentaries have not been immune from controversy.
—Debbie Millman, Time, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controversy
Noun
-
Officers learned that a group known to each other got into an altercation resulting from an ongoing dispute, the police said.—
Jack Perry,
The Providence Journal,
7 Feb. 2026
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At least five competing proposals have emerged from major coalitions, several of which have fractured in recent days as internal disputes deepened.—
JACQUELINE CHARLES MIAMI HERALD,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Housing policy debates fixate on supply without acknowledging the strain placed on families who spend hours each day on the road.—
Christopher Bellingham,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
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While there is considerable debate over Another Planet funding the rehab and ushering in the venue’s new role as a music house, what’s not in dispute is the impact the renovation on the building itself.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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On Tuesday, Buda Mayor Lee Urbanovsky said city police were working with Hays CISD to collect witness statements and video evidence from students who were present during the altercation.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
3 Feb. 2026
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But there is a time and a place, and becoming embroiled in a physical altercation with a nightclub bouncer the night before leading your country in an international is neither the right time nor the right place.—
Paul Newman,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 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
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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
Noun
-
For teens especially, emotional growth depends on navigating real relationships, including discomfort and disagreement.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
7 Feb. 2026
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Anthropic’s founders are former OpenAI employees who left over disagreements about the ChatGPT maker’s direction, approach to safety and pace of AI development.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Some of the quarrels that divided Minneapolis city leaders only a few weeks ago, over policing or Gaza or the budget, have faded as people have come together to oppose ICE.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
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After all, this dispute is a business quarrel, rather than a personal one; while the lawsuit involves a college and a student, it’s better understood as a team trying to keep its star quarterback.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The boy who took the video distributed it to others a couple of weeks later, after he and Smith’s son got into an argument, the claim said.—
Jane Harper,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Feb. 2026
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Other evidence is immense, Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney Bill Vassar suggested on Friday in the state’s closing argument to the jury considering Bell-Johnson’s guilt or innocence.—
Emerson Clarridge
Updated February 6,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Bass, in turn, warned the county’s actions could cause the city to backslide in its fight against homelessness.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
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As tensions rise, Ron and Veronica's brutal knock-down fight in the middle of the newsroom is the perfect comic expression of the battle of the sexes.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Controversy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controversy. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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