as in disputed
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1
as in pondered
to give serious and careful thought to
still debating what to do
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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
The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
While sleep is seen across the animal kingdom, its purpose is still debated.
—New Atlas, 24 Jan. 2026
The president also acknowledged that the topics of the discussions that were happening had been debated for months.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 23 Jan. 2026
The committee ultimately agreed to continue advancing the concept of a City Chief Financial Officer, while leaving the structure of the role — and how it would be filled — to be debated at future meetings.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 23 Jan. 2026
Though a discussion or vote on graduations was not on the official meeting agenda, board members, students and parents debated the topic for hours.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2026
The Irish actor may have suffered from category confusion as Oscar prognosticators debated all season whether his role was leading or supporting.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
The timing of initial human occupation of Sahul—the Pleistocene-era supercontinent that is now Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea—has been debated among archeologists.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 21 Jan. 2026
Senate Bill 55 is already being debated in Annapolis.
—Caroline Foreback, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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
Responsibility is still debated after harm has occurred.
—The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
While sleep is seen across the animal kingdom, its purpose is still debated.
—New Atlas, 24 Jan. 2026
The president also acknowledged that the topics of the discussions that were happening had been debated for months.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 23 Jan. 2026
The committee ultimately agreed to continue advancing the concept of a City Chief Financial Officer, while leaving the structure of the role — and how it would be filled — to be debated at future meetings.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 23 Jan. 2026
Though a discussion or vote on graduations was not on the official meeting agenda, board members, students and parents debated the topic for hours.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2026
The Irish actor may have suffered from category confusion as Oscar prognosticators debated all season whether his role was leading or supporting.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
The timing of initial human occupation of Sahul—the Pleistocene-era supercontinent that is now Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea—has been debated among archeologists.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 21 Jan. 2026
Senate Bill 55 is already being debated in Annapolis.
—Caroline Foreback, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debated
Adjective
-
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
-
Diplomatic relations stagnate, Greenland is quietly regarded as a disputed zone, and foreign investment stalls as uncertainty rises.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Paul pondered in the latest episode what the Lakers could do to remake their roster and suggested using popular guard Austin Reaves in a potential trade.—
Jason Jones,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Advertisement China has long pondered surgical strikes against Taiwan’s leadership, though any such move is likely to be self-defeating, given the island is a sustained democracy.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But the dueling announcements appear to put to rest — for now — two prominently discussed stadium locations in Kansas and Missouri as the team weighs its future home after its lease expires in 2031.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Lawmakers have discussed the effect of the threatening political climate on their ability to hold town halls and public events, with some even citing it in their decisions not to seek reelection.—
Michael Biesecker,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Some figures indicated that iPhone users were still avoiding upgrading despite this risk, citing multiple bugs and the controversial Liquid Glass as a reason for staying on an insecure operating system version.—
Kate O'Flaherty,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
At times, the process was controversial as there were a lot of differing opinions about the content.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Tsitsipas, who contemplated a future without tennis during his back issues last year, said during a news conference ahead of the tournament.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The area’s natural beauty was such that Merrick contemplated building another Biltmore-sized hotel along the coast.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Another lawsuit brought by detainees in federal court in Fort Myers argued that immigration was a federal issue, and Florida agencies and private contractors hired by the state had no authority to operate the facility under federal law.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
So, Hippocrates argued, the illness of epilepsy must be caused, like any other illness, by imbalance, not demons.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Sette is considered an expert on human T cells, the immune cells that adapt to recognize and fight infections from viruses, bacteria, parasites and other pathogens.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
-
It is widely considered one of the best games in the series.—
George Yang,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Ziyad Al-Aly, a clinical epidemiologist who has studied longer-term health effects from COVID, did the math.—
Stephanie Armour,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Why Progress Remains Elusive The most sobering conclusion from the last several years of reports is that the BOP’s problems are not unknown, under-studied, or misunderstood.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debated. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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