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
There was some controversy regarding the tush push last season.
—
Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2026
Their unsparing letter added another layer of controversy to the drama that had already been brewing about Tuesday’s forum.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Chatree's legal controversy spans multiple cases, several medical surveys and a counter lawsuit.
—ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
Since the undressing trend initially sparked controversy in early January, governments and political bodies including the European Union, the state of California and House Democrats have announced various inquiries and investigations into Grok and its undressing abilities.
—Chloe Atkins, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2026
Their unsparing letter added another layer of controversy to the drama that had already been brewing about Tuesday’s forum.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Chatree's legal controversy spans multiple cases, several medical surveys and a counter lawsuit.
—ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
Since the undressing trend initially sparked controversy in early January, governments and political bodies including the European Union, the state of California and House Democrats have announced various inquiries and investigations into Grok and its undressing abilities.
—Chloe Atkins, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controversy
Noun
-
Officers said they were called to the area for a domestic dispute.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Merit filed for bankruptcy last July and became embroiled in a thorny legal dispute with a former broadcasting business partner.—
Uwa Ede-Osifo,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That is the number of votes required to invoke cloture, end debate, break a filibuster, and allow the bill in question to proceed to a final vote on the floor.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
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At the same time – and unprecedentedly in Lebanon since the 1980s — open public debate has persisted concerning the possibility of reaching a normalization agreement with Israel.—
Asher Kaufman,
The Conversation,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Deputies responded on the night of March 20 to an address along 6th Avenue following reports of a verbal altercation at a gathering.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
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Not for nothing — no one in this altercation is wearing a helmet on their bike!—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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Over the next months, Barr made clear his own disagreements with the foundations of the Russia investigation, moving to dismiss a false-statements prosecution that Mueller had brought against former national security adviser Michael Flynn, even though that investigation ended in a guilty plea.—
Eric Tucker,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Mar. 2026
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The onboard disagreement escalated as other passengers also sought to use the underseat space reserved for the guide dog, raising questions about enforcing service animal rules on commercial flights.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In an inscription outside of the current building, writer Tom Corcoran claims Buffett once escaped the apartment upstairs from the bar after a lovers’ quarrel and that patrons often stood on bricks to stay out of runoff from the overflowing bathrooms while gambling on games of pool.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
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Two men were hospitalized early Sunday after a quarrel turned into a shootout on the 79th Street Red Line platform along the Dan Ryan Expressway.—
Dylan Olsen,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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For now, the Halligan appeal remains the clearest test case, and the administration seems dead-set on appealing it until the Supreme Court decides whether to consider the matter for a merits argument.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Mar. 2026
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But the Vegitalian renders all of those arguments entirely moot, by evoking all the best parts of a meat-laden sandwich meatlessly.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The company develops and makes products for civilian and military use, such as drone technologies used by Ukraine's armed forces in the fight against the Russian invasion.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Mar. 2026
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The votes mark incremental progress toward resolving at least some of the vacancies that have fueled the dispute, particularly in Utah, where Holyoak’s interim status has become a flashpoint in the broader fight.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Controversy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controversy. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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