1
as in pondered
to give serious and careful thought to
still debating what to do
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in discussed
to talk about (an issue) usually from various points of view and for the purpose of arriving at a decision or opinion
we debated the advantages versus the disadvantages of the proposed waterfront development
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in disputed
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of debated
IndyStar, 8 Sep. 2025
This secular trend is welcome, but its causes remain debated.
—Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025
Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
Afterward, three grown men debated which member of their clubhouse possesses the best version of a chin beard.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Advertisement The precise mechanisms are still debated.
—William Warr, Time, 15 Sep. 2025
The extent of Raskin's residual impact on the Macintosh's final form is often debated, but the resulting 1984 Macintosh 128K is clearly a different machine from what Raskin originally envisioned.
—Cameron Kaiser, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
Outrage over the video, however, also was blamed for riots and the Defund the Police movement, which many now consider a mistake that might have precipitated a rise in violent crime in some cities (the statistics are often debated).
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025
Other major bills were still being hotly debated.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
Lawmakers also debated whether cigar bars should be allowed to open in the state, and voted on a resolution to honor Hispanic Heritage Month.
—Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 11 Sep. 2025
One of the key issues being debated is an increase in player compensation.
—Jessica Golden, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
Seclusion and restraint The use of restraint and seclusion practices to address disabled students’ behavioral issues has increasingly become a debated issue among education specialists.
—IndyStar, 8 Sep. 2025
This secular trend is welcome, but its causes remain debated.
—Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
The Skin category winners are probably the most difficult to choose and definitely the most hotly debated, but after months of thorough testing (and retesting), in the end, our editors came to a consensus on which cleansers, creams, peels, and spot treatments offer the most impressive results.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
Afterward, three grown men debated which member of their clubhouse possesses the best version of a chin beard.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Advertisement The precise mechanisms are still debated.
—William Warr, Time, 15 Sep. 2025
The extent of Raskin's residual impact on the Macintosh's final form is often debated, but the resulting 1984 Macintosh 128K is clearly a different machine from what Raskin originally envisioned.
—Cameron Kaiser, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
Outrage over the video, however, also was blamed for riots and the Defund the Police movement, which many now consider a mistake that might have precipitated a rise in violent crime in some cities (the statistics are often debated).
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025
Other major bills were still being hotly debated.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
Lawmakers also debated whether cigar bars should be allowed to open in the state, and voted on a resolution to honor Hispanic Heritage Month.
—Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 11 Sep. 2025
One of the key issues being debated is an increase in player compensation.
—Jessica Golden, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debated
Verb
-
In her conversation with Interview, Peters pondered whether the next Great American Novelist could be trans.—
Grace Byron,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
National media and pundits pondered why a team would sell off Alan Pulido a year after signing him to a large extension and not commit to William Agada as the starter, as the two had somewhat similar chance and shot-creation numbers in 2024.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The future of this rapidly expanding means of devising software by tapping into the generative capabilities of modern-era AI, such as ChatGPT, Claude, Llama, Grok, Gemini, and other large language models, will be discussed.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Other than the online diary, Gendron reportedly received weapons tips in another Discord server where members mostly discussed guns and tactical gear.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Conducting compensation negotiations with a team is only one of relevant services contemplated by the SPAC.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The United States seriously contemplated striking North Korea’s Yongbyon reactor in 1993, even drawing up military plans to attack the site with penetrating munitions delivered by stealth bombers.—
VIPIN NARANG,
Foreign Affairs,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In a court filing ahead of the settlement in the music label fight, IA had argued that labels had added an avalanche of infringing works so late into the lawsuit to create leverage to force a settlement.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Education Assembly Bill 715 was the only priority bill of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, aiming to address antisemitism in California public schools that authors have argued has become worse in recent years, as the war between Israel and Hamas continues in Gaza.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
As a public institution, UVU upholds First Amendment rights and fosters an environment where ideas – popular or controversial – can be exchanged freely, energetically, and civilly.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Despite her controversial inclusion at the event, Melnikova’s performances were met with robust cheers from the Parisian crowd.—
Caroline Price,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As a junior at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and vice chair of the Utah Federation of College Republicans, Beesley considered Kirk a hero.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The century-old competition, held every four years, is considered as prestigious as a Michelin star—and many award-winning chefs have earned both.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Approaches being studied or already in limited use include pills and liquids, topical creams, sprays or dressings and intravenous injections.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Such ingredients included cannabis extract and synthetic psychedelics whose effects and safety have not been formally documented or studied.—
Allison Parshall,
Scientific American,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As the probe unfolded, Kelly Dever was one of several low-rent Canton losers who couldn’t keep their stories straight when questioned by the feds.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
-
That person was questioned and later released, and so was another taken into custody later that day.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debated. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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