as in controversial
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1
as in questioned
to demand proof of the truth or rightness of
a whole slew of relatives eager to dispute his claim to being the sole heir
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2
as in bickered
to express different opinions about something often angrily
hometown fans disputing with visiting fans over which had the better team
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in debated
to talk about (an issue) usually from various points of view and for the purpose of arriving at a decision or opinion
in an extended session the city council disputed the need for a new high school
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Recent Examples of disputed
Karl Vick, Time, 28 Feb. 2026
Late Thursday night the Taliban’s military launched attacks on Pakistani positions along some sections of their porous and disputed border that wends 1,600 miles through rugged mountains and desert.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
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
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
Cambodia was awarded sovereignty over the disputed area, including the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple, in 1962 by the International Court of Justice.
—Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 11 Jan. 2026
The disputed 2024 presidential election ignited nationwide protests and a sweeping government crackdown.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2026
Myanmar’s military rulers claim lead in disputed poll Myanmar’s military rulers claimed to have dominated the first phase of national elections widely dismissed as a sham but which were nevertheless notable for China’s growing role.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 2 Jan. 2026
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 Mar. 2026
Its precise origins are still disputed, with British heritage brands Aquascutum (sadly out of business) and Burberry both taking credit.
—Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 9 Mar. 2026
Innovation is essential, but hurling attacks based on no evidence or disputed by facts, is unfair, and unjust.
—Stanley S. Litow, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
The pact does not directly address complaints of unhappy policyholders who say Lara’s administration has failed to hold State Farm accountable, which the insurance department has disputed.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Kennedy has disputed her account.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 6 Mar. 2026
While estimated at roughly 68 kilometers per second per megaparsec (km/s/Mpc), its exact value is still disputed.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 5 Mar. 2026
That the ship was moving away has also been disputed.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
But Sutter’s legacy has long been disputed.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
After the disputed 2009 presidential election, in which an apparent reformist victory was thwarted, the streets became the only outlet for dissent.
—Karl Vick, Time, 28 Feb. 2026
Late Thursday night the Taliban’s military launched attacks on Pakistani positions along some sections of their porous and disputed border that wends 1,600 miles through rugged mountains and desert.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
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
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
Cambodia was awarded sovereignty over the disputed area, including the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple, in 1962 by the International Court of Justice.
—Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 11 Jan. 2026
The disputed 2024 presidential election ignited nationwide protests and a sweeping government crackdown.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2026
Myanmar’s military rulers claim lead in disputed poll Myanmar’s military rulers claimed to have dominated the first phase of national elections widely dismissed as a sham but which were nevertheless notable for China’s growing role.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 2 Jan. 2026
Verb
Throughout the litigation, Live Nation disputed the government’s theory, insisting that its success reflects the superiority of its product and the preferences of venues and consumers.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 Mar. 2026
Its precise origins are still disputed, with British heritage brands Aquascutum (sadly out of business) and Burberry both taking credit.
—Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 9 Mar. 2026
Innovation is essential, but hurling attacks based on no evidence or disputed by facts, is unfair, and unjust.
—Stanley S. Litow, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
The pact does not directly address complaints of unhappy policyholders who say Lara’s administration has failed to hold State Farm accountable, which the insurance department has disputed.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Kennedy has disputed her account.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 6 Mar. 2026
While estimated at roughly 68 kilometers per second per megaparsec (km/s/Mpc), its exact value is still disputed.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 5 Mar. 2026
That the ship was moving away has also been disputed.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
But Sutter’s legacy has long been disputed.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disputed
Adjective
-
Front and rear wings are simplified, and the sport’s controversial Drag Reduction System (DRS)—long considered to create artificial overtaking—has been abolished.—
Brad Spurgeon,
Robb Report,
9 Mar. 2026
-
When asked about Trump’s immigration policies — which have been controversial and are viewed by some Venezuelan residents as harmful to their community — Rodriguez first expressed support.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The legal basis for keeping the suspension in place is itself now being questioned, and new court challenges are anticipated.—
Jay Caruso,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
-
During Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Kaplan questioned McCarty’s plan to expand homelessness services as the city grappled with a $66 million budget deficit.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Jokic and Oklahoma City’s players had bothered each other and bickered all night.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
28 Feb. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
It can be debated whether Brian Flores ever liked, or wanted Tagovailoa.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
-
His statement was debated on the airwaves and online, and covered in outlets ranging from TMZ to The Hill, a website ostensibly devoted to Beltway politics.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Injury data is inconclusive, but many studies indicate a relationship between artificial turf and injuries.—
Lev Akabas,
Sportico.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
State fire officials said the cause of that fire was inconclusive.—
Alec Johnson,
jsonline.com,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In District 2, incumbent Rocío Rivas is being challenged by Raquel Zamora, an LAUSD teacher and attendance counselor.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2026
-
This challenged the moral argument on which the legitimacy of the drug war rested.—
Sheila Coronel,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And the prosecutors argued that Lauer’s decision to wait eight years after the initial FBI raid to enter a guilty plea should result in a longer sentence.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The district argued there was another year left before there were five failed ratings in a row, but the judge panel struck down this argument, among others.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Emails reviewed by The Dallas Morning News show that city staff and consultants discussed how to arrange tours of prospective sites as part of an evaluation of whether Dallas should invest in significant repairs of City Hall or move and redevelop its prime location.—
Nick Wooten,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Mar. 2026
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Zabel alleges the two discussed the idea of creating a children’s book together after Sánchez told her a story about a helicopter trip where a fly was stuck to the windshield the entire time.—
StyleCaster Editors,
StyleCaster,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disputed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disputed. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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