as in disputed
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1
as in pondered
to give serious and careful thought to
still debating what to do
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in discussed
to talk about (an issue) usually from various points of view and for the purpose of arriving at a decision or opinion
we debated the advantages versus the disadvantages of the proposed waterfront development
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Recent Examples of debated
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 6 Feb. 2026
As one of Cohen's most frequent guests on his late-night talk show Watch What Happens Live, Rapaport has generated some of its most viral and debated moments, like a fiery 2018 spat between the actor and Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Jan. 2026
Dogs are believed to descend from ancient gray wolves, though the exact wolf populations that gave rise to them remain debated.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Seclusion and restraint The use of restraint and seclusion practices to address disabled students’ behavioral issues has increasingly become a debated issue among education specialists.
—IndyStar, 8 Sep. 2025
This secular trend is welcome, but its causes remain debated.
—Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025
Perhaps the most debated entry in Clooney’s filmography, this adaptation of the Stanisław Lem sci-fi novel — which had previously been turned into a meditative 1972 Andrei Tarkovsky drama — has its champions and its passionate haters.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 17 Feb. 2026
After the episode in Miami, Thomson benched Castellanos for a game; the Phillies debated a suspension because Castellanos had violated a Major League Baseball rule by having an open container of alcohol in the dugout during a game.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Both seats have been vacant for some time as the board debated how to fill the spots before the upcoming 2026 general election when both positions will be up for grabs.
—Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
And the court has decided only one of the other eight cases debated in November, all of which are less consequential than the tariffs dispute.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
Lanier pointed to internal documents from 2019 in which Meta executives debated whether to ban such filters.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
It’s been broadly debated whether the novel actually is a love story between the snobbish Cathy and the glowering Heathcliff.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
The House of Delegates debated it.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 11 Feb. 2026
Whether this movement toward harder jumps is the right direction for skating’s future is fiercely debated, both among the figure skating community and fans.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
That balance of a decades-old history and a new brand’s need to establish itself in its own right shapes the leadership challenge facing Strazik, who joined GE in 2000 when it was still led by Jack Welch, one of the defining — and most debated — business leaders of the 20th century.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 6 Feb. 2026
As one of Cohen's most frequent guests on his late-night talk show Watch What Happens Live, Rapaport has generated some of its most viral and debated moments, like a fiery 2018 spat between the actor and Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Jan. 2026
Dogs are believed to descend from ancient gray wolves, though the exact wolf populations that gave rise to them remain debated.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Seclusion and restraint The use of restraint and seclusion practices to address disabled students’ behavioral issues has increasingly become a debated issue among education specialists.
—IndyStar, 8 Sep. 2025
This secular trend is welcome, but its causes remain debated.
—Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025
Perhaps the most debated entry in Clooney’s filmography, this adaptation of the Stanisław Lem sci-fi novel — which had previously been turned into a meditative 1972 Andrei Tarkovsky drama — has its champions and its passionate haters.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
Verb
Idaho lawmakers fiercely debated a proposal to allow people to sue businesses and local governments that allow transgender people to use the restrooms aligning with their gender identity.
—Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 17 Feb. 2026
After the episode in Miami, Thomson benched Castellanos for a game; the Phillies debated a suspension because Castellanos had violated a Major League Baseball rule by having an open container of alcohol in the dugout during a game.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Both seats have been vacant for some time as the board debated how to fill the spots before the upcoming 2026 general election when both positions will be up for grabs.
—Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
And the court has decided only one of the other eight cases debated in November, all of which are less consequential than the tariffs dispute.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
Lanier pointed to internal documents from 2019 in which Meta executives debated whether to ban such filters.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
It’s been broadly debated whether the novel actually is a love story between the snobbish Cathy and the glowering Heathcliff.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
The House of Delegates debated it.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 11 Feb. 2026
Whether this movement toward harder jumps is the right direction for skating’s future is fiercely debated, both among the figure skating community and fans.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debated
Adjective
-
Unfortunately, after the disputed election of 1876, political support for Black voting rights collapsed, and Republicans withdrew military troops from the South.—
Jeffrey Rosen,
The Atlantic,
16 Feb. 2026
-
City Council documents said the disputed portion of the property falls completely outside Willow Park’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Moe pondered this for half a second.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The Royals pondered whether to non-tender India this offseason.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Continuing efforts to slow vehicles on busy La Jolla roads, the local Traffic & Transportation Board discussed the possibility of reprogramming traffic lights and installing temporary speed humps.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Carvalho discussed the event’s main goal, to mark a year since the beginning of recovery from the Altadena and Pacific Palisades fires in January of 2025.—
Daily News,
Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Denver is considering ending its relationship with Flock, a controversial company that maintains a network of license-plate reading cameras in the city, but Mayor Mike Johnston’s office plans to continue using that technology.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Torres has a controversial legacy in Colombia, where conservatives have long derided his decision to seek political change through violent means.—
Manuel Rueda,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Inside the private room of a Country Club Plaza steakhouse, top officials from the England national team contemplated their World Cup future.—
Sam McDowell
Updated February 13,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Ohtani will remain the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter, and Roberts has contemplated slotting Smith down to fifth to fit Tucker into the top third of the order.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Some board members who voted no said the district had not sufficiently demonstrated that broad layoff notices were the most responsible or strategic option and argued that the analysis did not fully account for the operational and human consequences of issuing RIF notices at that scale.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The war enters its fifth year this month, and Kyiv is in a stronger position than at the start of 2025, a Carnegie Endowment expert argued in Foreign Affairs.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Making her first appearance at Europe’s preeminent security summit since being elected to Congress in 2018, Ocasio-Cortez participated in multiple panel discussions, in what was widely considered to be a strategic effort to increase her political profile.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Feb. 2026
-
That designation means using or being exposed to the products may cause temporary or medically reversible health problems, and the risk of serious injury is considered low.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
They were carved with patriotic love by a Texas sculptor who studied in Paris under a French modern master and envisioned as the polished centerpieces of a $10 million park, but now sit in a Virginia field as an offbeat, reservations-only, roadside tourist draw.—
Danielle Paquette The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Researchers have studied the power of quantum computers using traditional complexity theory for decades.—
Ben Brubaker,
Quanta Magazine,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debated. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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