1
as in dispute
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
the seemingly imperishable controversy over the teaching of evolution
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in debate
variance of opinion on a matter
there is considerable controversy regarding the assassination of President Kennedy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of controversy
Madsen's final years were marred by tragedy and controversy.
—
Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 3 July 2025
The controversy arose amid anger among residents after flooding in June of that year.
—Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 3 July 2025
The controversy has led to immediate policy changes for live music programming.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 July 2025
At first glance, department stores and motorcycles don't have much in common, but locally grown Kohl's and Harley-Davidson have both been dogged by declining sales, leadership controversies, and questions about business strategies.
—Ricardo Torres, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 3 July 2025
The controversy arose amid anger among residents after flooding in June of that year.
—Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 3 July 2025
The controversy has led to immediate policy changes for live music programming.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 July 2025
At first glance, department stores and motorcycles don't have much in common, but locally grown Kohl's and Harley-Davidson have both been dogged by declining sales, leadership controversies, and questions about business strategies.
—Ricardo Torres, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for controversy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controversy
Noun
-
Threads on the South Park subreddit and social media have lit up with foul-mouthed complaints from international fans, most of them directed at Paramount and David Ellison’s Skydance Media, whose $8 billion buyout of Paramount is at the heart of the South Park dispute.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
14 July 2025
-
But there are still some sour grapes about the big tactical dispute in February.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
Where interest rates should be today, and when they should be reduced, is already a topic of debate inside the Fed, a decision, it should be noted, that cannot be made unilaterally by the chair.—
Ron Insana,
CNBC,
11 July 2025
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For the more religious who follow halacha, or traditional Jewish law, the question about how to handle the starting and ending times of Shabbat has been a topic of debate ever since the congregation was founded in 1905.—
Dan Fellner,
Sun Sentinel,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
Back in May, former Washington Commanders running back Adrian Peterson went viral for his involvement in a physical altercation at a poker game in Houston, Texas.—
Justin Grasso,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 July 2025
-
The altercation could be setting the stage for an official showdown between Jelly and Paul at this year’s SummerSlam, scheduled for Aug. 2–3 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Watch Jelly Roll face off with Logan Paul at WWE SmackDown in the clip below.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
13 July 2025
Noun
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Jake is a single father who has brought Kristen up in the severe Calvinist tradition, marked by Bible disputations of Talmudic intricacy and by a radical detachment from secular and popular culture.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2023
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Seven decades later, this culture of disputation emerged as a central theme in Timothy Garton Ash’s The Magic Lantern, his eyewitness report on the Eastern European revolutions of 1989.—
Susie Linfield,
The New York Review of Books,
11 May 2022
Noun
-
With no deadline spurring action and the clear potential for disagreement on valuation, this staring contest could go on for a while.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
7 July 2025
-
At the core of disagreements over transgender access to sports is whether trans women have an unfair physical athletic advantage over athletes assigned female at birth.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
4 July 2025
Noun
-
Your celestial ruler, Mercury, will also station retrograde in your communication sector (for the win), triggering misunderstandings and unnecessary quarrels with siblings or neighbors.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
8 July 2025
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According to writer and historian Geoffrey C. Ward, Johnson had his quarrels inside and outside the ring.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Noun
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Could this argument exempt them from the exit tax, sparing them significant financial consequences?—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
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That request may become even more important to prosecutors if Routh is speaking and making arguments for himself at his trial.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
12 July 2025
Noun
-
Pledging weapons for Ukraine's fight appears to be the latest stage in this pivot.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 July 2025
-
Here, there was a much tighter focus on the individual pieces of research that had become casualties in that larger fight.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Controversy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controversy. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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