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
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of controversy
Between the lines: Sacks has been a lightning rod for controversy in recent months.
—
Axios, 6 Dec. 2024
Trump's previous inauguration fundraising campaigns have been marred with controversy.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024
Yet even that is fraught with controversy, as Florence is using public money awarded by the EU to renovate the stadium.
—Emmet Gates, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Dealing With Labor Challenges Tree fruit crops require a good deal of hand labor and the political controversy around immigration policy has compromised the functionality of the H2A system needed to supply that labor.
—Steven Savage, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for controversy 
Axios, 6 Dec. 2024
Trump's previous inauguration fundraising campaigns have been marred with controversy.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024
Yet even that is fraught with controversy, as Florence is using public money awarded by the EU to renovate the stadium.
—Emmet Gates, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Dealing With Labor Challenges Tree fruit crops require a good deal of hand labor and the political controversy around immigration policy has compromised the functionality of the H2A system needed to supply that labor.
—Steven Savage, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for controversy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controversy
Noun
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Research has distinguished between three simple strategies to deal with neighbor disputes: avoidance of the party whose behavior is experienced as unneighborly; confronting the neighbor face-to-face; and relying on a third party to sort out the issue, e.g. the landlord or even police.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
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Nearly a decade later, a dark storm cloud has descended upon his increasingly unpopular administration, with the resignation of a top Cabinet minister over a dispute about how to manage US president-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threats.Lex Harvey, CNN, 17 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The debate over how to classify the West India Regiments—whether as British subjects and soldiers or as enslaved men—continued until 1807.Kinsey Gidick, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
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Actuarial data will likely end the debate if and when autonomous vehicles are demonstrably safer than those piloted by humans.Michael Khouw, CNBC, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Jamie Foxx is thanking fans for their support after an altercation at his birthday dinner this weekend required him to get stitches.Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 15 Dec. 2024
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Things got worse for Curtis, who was arrested and charged with assault because of his altercation with assistant DA Daniels.Barry Levitt, TIME, 11 Dec. 2024
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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And yet there is one aspect of the book which was notable: a disputation of the Richard Wrangham's work in Demonic Males.Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 22 Apr. 2013
Noun
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Any disagreements or requests for information should be noted in that report.Madeline Mitchell, The Enquirer, 8 Dec. 2024
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Relationships, at their best, are not just defined by extraordinary moments or their endings—they’re about the moments in between, the routine, the joy, the disagreements and the growth.Mark Travers, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
Noun
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That’s the main quarrel of opponents of such conservation projects.Christine Ro, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
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Experts at the conference floated the possibility that the aquatic quarrel could make its way to the Supreme Court, though that’s viewed as a crisis that should be averted.Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The legislation is part of a broader push to inject religious teachings into schools and comes as a growing number of Republicans nationally have openly embraced arguments that American politics and culture are rooted in the Christian faith.KACEN BAYLESS THE KANSAS CITY STAR (TNS), arkansasonline.com, 14 Dec. 2024
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The court will hear arguments in the case after the first of the year, with a decision expected by late June.Nina Totenberg, NPR, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Dylan and Baez didn’t get into a fight onstage over the setlist.Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2024
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While the fight was supposed to be an exhibition, Anpo didn’t appear to get the memo.Brian Mazique, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near controversy
Cite this Entry
“Controversy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controversy. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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