as in argued
to express different opinions about something often angrily
ever since the poem was first published, critics and scholars have controverted over the meaning of its concluding lines
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controverted
Verb
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Konyndyk argued that mortality data won’t reflect many adverse outcomes of the aid cuts, because humanitarians and aid recipients are frantically reallocating funds; for example, taking money away from education to put it towards food.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026 -
Clean-power investment from the Gulf — and particularly from Saudi Arabia and the UAE — into Africa is surging, but could have even greater impact were it targeted more towards power infrastructure, a new report argued.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The actors jokingly bickered about their history with the ceremony, with Cheadle remarking that Clooney hadn’t won since 2026 winner Timothée Chalamet was 3 years old.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
11 Jan. 2026
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On 33 occasions since 2017, Congress has been forced to pass emergency extensions to the flood insurance program, as lawmakers bickered over budgets and looming shutdowns threatened to disrupt it, according to a letter the National Association of Realtors sent to Congress ahead of the shutdown.—
Rukmini Callimachi,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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For the past seven months, SDC has quarreled with state officials and lawmakers over its community action agency title.—
Gina Lee Castro,
jsonline.com,
26 Nov. 2025
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Rhoden's biggest political victory this year was getting the state Legislature to sign off on a $650 million plan in September to replace the 141-year-old state penitentiary, an issue the Legislature had quarreled over for years.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Noem accused Pretti of being a domestic terrorist and brandishing a weapon before he was shot, a claim disputed by bystander footage of the incident.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Jan. 2026
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Colombo disputed claims from federal authorities that Wedding had been in hiding out in Mexico.—
Brittny Mejia,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Then, amid the pandemic, my research on cultural destruction was suddenly everywhere as Azerbaijan launched a war in our ancestral homeland—fought in the shadow of erasures like Djulfa.—
Simon Maghakyan,
Time,
30 Jan. 2026
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As the fish fruitlessly fought the current, neurons that release norepinephrine fired; in response, calcium built up in astrocytes.—
Ingrid Wickelgren,
Quanta Magazine,
30 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Controverted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controverted. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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