1
as in contentious
relating to or causing the expression of opposing opinions
tried to avoid controversial topics over the holiday dinner table
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2
as in aggressive
given to arguing
controversial by temperament, she's the sort of political attack dog who kills all hope of bipartisanship
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Examples of controversial in a Sentence
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Join 5 others in the comments View Comments In 2008, a New York probate court overruled controversial real estate mogul Leona Helmsley’s $12-million bequest to her beloved Maltese, Trouble, knocking down the dog’s share of her estate to $2 million.
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Alexandra Peers, CNN, 14 Sep. 2024
Notre-Dame is one of two major Parisian monuments to receive headline attention for controversial new additions this month.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Sep. 2024
The tenth lawful but awful order would feel different than the first because Americans would become desensitized to controversial uses of the military and might be less willing to mobilize against them.
—Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 13 Sep. 2024
Cooper said another thing that helps Harris in the state is the governor's race -- presumably as people come out to vote against the controversial Republican candidate.
—Selina Wang, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for controversial 
Alexandra Peers, CNN, 14 Sep. 2024
Notre-Dame is one of two major Parisian monuments to receive headline attention for controversial new additions this month.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Sep. 2024
The tenth lawful but awful order would feel different than the first because Americans would become desensitized to controversial uses of the military and might be less willing to mobilize against them.
—Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 13 Sep. 2024
Cooper said another thing that helps Harris in the state is the governor's race -- presumably as people come out to vote against the controversial Republican candidate.
—Selina Wang, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for controversial
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'controversial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Controversial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controversial. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.
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