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
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Recent Examples of controversy
Meanwhile, as Disney smartly keeps its mouth shut, Kimmel continues to handle this latest controversy with aplomb.
—
Michael Schneider, Variety, 29 Apr. 2026
Bovino left Minneapolis in a controversy after federal agents killed Renée Good and Alex Pretti.
—Gregory Royal Pratt, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Protecting Maryland voter rights The Voting Rights Act of 2026 is an emergency bill that passed the general assembly on the final day after causing controversy between lawmakers.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2026
Cory Mills, slapped with a restraining order and generating one controversy after another, is facing calls for expulsion from Congress.
—Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Michael Schneider, Variety, 29 Apr. 2026
Bovino left Minneapolis in a controversy after federal agents killed Renée Good and Alex Pretti.
—Gregory Royal Pratt, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Protecting Maryland voter rights The Voting Rights Act of 2026 is an emergency bill that passed the general assembly on the final day after causing controversy between lawmakers.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2026
Cory Mills, slapped with a restraining order and generating one controversy after another, is facing calls for expulsion from Congress.
—Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controversy
Noun
-
By 2009, Cage was facing serious financial strain, including a dispute with the IRS over $6 million in unpaid taxes.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
-
The statement notably excludes Anthropic, which has been in dispute with the Pentagon over guardrails for how the military could use its artificial intelligence tools.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
The early read was that Alphabet , Microsoft , Meta Platforms , and Amazon all passed with flying colors, but beneath the strong headline numbers, a more nuanced debate is taking shape.—
Paulina Likos,Zev Fima,
CNBC,
1 May 2026
-
There have been debates about the entertainment value of the Premier League all season, but the top-flight of English football remains the least predictable of Europe’s top leagues.—
Graham Ruthven,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
At 20, he was arrested after a routine traffic stop turned into a violent altercation with police.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The altercation between Avdija and Castle put an end to a frustrating day for the Trail Blazers, who lost Game 4 by 21 points after holding a 17-point lead at halftime.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This did not, however, mark the end of disputation concerning the Northwest Angle.—
Scott Spires,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
19 Mar. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
But there were disagreements inside the administration over the wisdom of funding the bailout.—
Joel Rose,
NPR,
2 May 2026
-
But some Republicans shook their heads in disagreement.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
As the quarrel turned physical, the woman pushed Smith to the ground, witnesses told police.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
What followed was a benches-clearing quarrel between Miller, Sal Stewart and their respective teams, the dramatic conclusion to a two-day saga between the Giants and Reds featuring beanballs, cuss words and aggressive gesticulation.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The victim told police Walton became enraged over not receiving a tip, leading to an argument.—
Stepheny Price , Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
2 May 2026
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During debate, DeSantis’s general counsel, David Axelman, argued that complying with prior court mandates risked acknowledging that race played a role in drawing districts, echoing legal arguments at the center of the Louisiana case.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
The fight, though, kept getting delayed.—
Chang-rae Lee,
New Yorker,
3 May 2026
-
While Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first Black president and a global icon – having spent 27 years in jail for his role in the fight against apartheid – his wife Winnie, who was arguably just as instrumental in that fight, has been widely maligned.—
Kate Bartlett,
NPR,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Controversy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controversy. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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