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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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
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
Beijing has also in recent years presided over a policy of relocating villages to fortify or in some cases expand its claim along disputed boundaries.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
Several years later, in 2010, the detention of a Chinese fisherman by Japanese forces in disputed water caused a temporary embargo on rare earth exports, something Japanese industry is heavily reliant on.
—Kerry Brown, Time, 28 Nov. 2025
Caroline Tien, SELF, 23 Feb. 2026
But in South Africa, those claims are disputed.
—Michael H Gavshon, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
Officials with the Minnesota Department of Human Services have disputed that estimate.
—Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 23 Feb. 2026
That created the perception that the Heat wanted to avoid Paul’s clients, a theory that has been disputed in recent years.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
The dollar amounts reported by DOGE have been widely disputed.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 22 Feb. 2026
Armstrong, in a separate submission to the court on Wednesday, asking for the judge to modify her conditions of release, similarly disputed the DOJ’s characterization of events.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 21 Feb. 2026
The day after a jury declined to convict Murphy, Cassia County Prosecutor McCord Larsen disputed that the man the defense identified as the alternate perpetrator had anything to do with Whitney Murphy’s death.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 20 Feb. 2026
Sells changed his tune after learning that much of the evidence against Pender has been disputed.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026
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
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
Beijing has also in recent years presided over a policy of relocating villages to fortify or in some cases expand its claim along disputed boundaries.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
Several years later, in 2010, the detention of a Chinese fisherman by Japanese forces in disputed water caused a temporary embargo on rare earth exports, something Japanese industry is heavily reliant on.
—Kerry Brown, Time, 28 Nov. 2025
Verb
And even the existence of MSG sensitivity itself has been disputed, as the placebo effect is thought to come into play to some extent.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 23 Feb. 2026
But in South Africa, those claims are disputed.
—Michael H Gavshon, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
Officials with the Minnesota Department of Human Services have disputed that estimate.
—Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 23 Feb. 2026
That created the perception that the Heat wanted to avoid Paul’s clients, a theory that has been disputed in recent years.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
The dollar amounts reported by DOGE have been widely disputed.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 22 Feb. 2026
Armstrong, in a separate submission to the court on Wednesday, asking for the judge to modify her conditions of release, similarly disputed the DOJ’s characterization of events.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 21 Feb. 2026
The day after a jury declined to convict Murphy, Cassia County Prosecutor McCord Larsen disputed that the man the defense identified as the alternate perpetrator had anything to do with Whitney Murphy’s death.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 20 Feb. 2026
Sells changed his tune after learning that much of the evidence against Pender has been disputed.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disputed
Adjective
-
Already the proposal has spurred the district to consider whether to wind down a controversial donation pact with a billionaire resident and neighbor.—
Shun Graves,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates finished behind the French team of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron after controversial judging despite pretty clear mistakes by the French.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That same year, Andrew's nephew, a then-17-year-old Prince Harry, was questioned by police about underage drinking and cannabis use, but he was never arrested or charged.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Some have questioned if the law will truly guarantee the liberty of ex-detainees.—
Alessandra Freitas,
CNN Money,
20 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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The Supreme Court will take up an effort by local governments to go after big oil and gas companies like Exxon Mobil and Suncor for harms caused by climate change, a question that has been debated in state courts across the country for years.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Texas lawmakers have debated ending the time change.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Sometimes the conflicts reach logical conclusions within 30 minutes, while other times episodes just stop because life, kids, is often inconclusive.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Previous research on coffee, tea and dementia risk has been inconclusive, said Niotis, who wasn’t involved in the study.—
Lindsey Leake,
NBC news,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Alan Morrison, who was the lead attorney in a case that challenged the blanket steel tariffs Trump put in place during his first term, understands why so many businesses have shied away from this kind of face-off.—
Elisabeth Buchwald,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The laws have been challenged by families representing a variety of religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and clergy, in addition to nonreligious families.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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
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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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Disputed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disputed. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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