Controversial Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

2 : given to controversy : disputatious a controversial temperament The controversial biologist caused a ferment among his colleagues. Login SignUp Hello, Games&Quizzes Thesaurus WordoftheDay Features BuyingGuide M-WBooks MyWordsMyWords ViewRecents Account LogOut controversial adjective SaveWord con·​tro·​ver·​sial |\ˌkän-trə-ˈvər-shəl ,-ˈvər-sē-əl\ Definitionofcontroversial 1 :of,relatingto,orarousingcontroversy acontroversialpolicyacontroversialfilm 2 :giventocontroversy:disputatious acontroversialtemperamentThecontroversialbiologistcausedafermentamonghiscolleagues. OtherWordsfromcontroversial Synonyms&Antonyms MoreExampleSentences LearnMoreAboutcontroversial OtherWordsfromcontroversial controversialism \ ˌkän-​trə-​ˈvər-​shə-​ˌli-​zəm ,-​sē-​ə-​ˌli-​ \ noun controversialist \ ˌkän-​trə-​ˈvər-​shə-​list ,-​sē-​ə-​list \ noun controversially adverb Synonyms&Antonymsforcontroversial Synonyms argumentative, contentious, disputatious, hot-button, polemical (alsopolemic) Antonyms noncontroversial, safe, uncontroversial VisittheThesaurusforMore  ExamplesofcontroversialinaSentence Abortionisahighlycontroversialsubject. adecisionthatremainscontroversial Heisacontroversialauthor. SeeMore RecentExamplesontheWeb DavidYatesreturnstodirectthesequel,whichisagainproducedbyJ.K.Rowling,whohasalsobecomeacontroversialfigurefollowingherremarksabouttranspeople. — NickRomano,EW.com,10Dec.2021 Davis,whojoinedTwitterinmid-2019afterthreeyearsatMetaPlatformsInc.,hasbeenacontroversialfigureinsideTwitter,withsomeemployeestellingtheNewYorkTimesthathismanagementstyledidn’tfitthecompany’sculture. — KurtWagner,Fortune,3Dec.2021 RoganhasbeenacontroversialfigureduringtheCOVID-19era. — MikeBohn,USATODAY,2Dec.2021 ButPowellhasalsobeenacontroversialfigurehimself,facingattacksonhispoliciesfrombothsidesoftheaisle. — ChrisIsidore,CNN,22Nov.2021 Faucihasbeenacontroversialfigureduringthepandemic,inpartbecauseofhispublicclasheswithPresidentDonaldTrumpoverFauci’ssupportformasksandoppositiontounprovenCOVIDcures. — YasmeenAbutalebAndBethReinhard,AnchorageDailyNews,19Nov.2021 Faucihasbeenacontroversialfigureduringthepandemic,inpartbecauseofhispublicclasheswithPresidentDonaldTrumpoverFauci’ssupportformasksandoppositiontounprovencovidcures. — WashingtonPost,19Nov.2021 Hamiltonwas,tobesure,averycontroversialfigureinhistime,theleaderofthe(usually)minorityfactionintheearlydaysoftherepublic. — MichaelTomasky,TheNewRepublic,18Nov.2021 Despiteoverseeingtheendofapartheid,deKlerkremainedadeeplycontroversialfigureinSouthAfrica. — SiladityaRay,Forbes,11Nov.2021 Theseexamplesentencesareselectedautomaticallyfromvariousonlinenewssourcestoreflectcurrentusageoftheword'controversial.'ViewsexpressedintheexamplesdonotrepresenttheopinionofMerriam-Websteroritseditors.Sendusfeedback. SeeMore FirstKnownUseofcontroversial 1583,inthemeaningdefinedatsense1 HistoryandEtymologyforcontroversial seecontroversy LearnMoreAboutcontroversial Sharecontroversial PosttheDefinitionofcontroversialtoFacebook SharetheDefinitionofcontroversialonTwitter TimeTravelerforcontroversial Thefirstknownuseofcontroversialwas in1583 Seemorewordsfromthesameyear FromtheEditorsatMerriam-Webster TheNewsOn'Nontroversy' TheNewsOn'Nontroversy' There'snothingtoseehere,butthereissomethingtoread. DictionaryEntriesNearcontroversial controverse controversial controversion SeeMoreNearbyEntries  Statisticsforcontroversial LastUpdated 26Dec2021 Look-upPopularity CitethisEntry “Controversial.”Merriam-Webster.comDictionary,Merriam-Webster,https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/controversial.Accessed30Dec.2021. Style:MLA MLA Chicago APA Merriam-Webster MoreDefinitionsforcontroversial controversial adjective EnglishLanguageLearnersDefinitionofcontroversial :relatingtoorcausingmuchdiscussion,disagreement,orargument:likelytoproducecontroversy SeethefulldefinitionforcontroversialintheEnglishLanguageLearnersDictionary controversial adjective con·​tro·​ver·​sial |\ˌkän-trə-ˈvər-shəl \ KidsDefinitionofcontroversial :relatingtoorcausingdisagreementorargument acontroversiallaw MorefromMerriam-Websteroncontroversial Nglish:TranslationofcontroversialforSpanishSpeakers BritannicaEnglish:TranslationofcontroversialforArabicSpeakers WORDOFTHEDAY astute SeeDefinitionsandExamples» GetWordoftheDaydailyemail! TestYourVocabulary DifficultSpellingWordsQuiz Whichisthecorrectspelling? acommadate acommodate accomodate accommodate Canyouspellthese10commonlymisspelledwords? TAKETHEQUIZ Adailychallengeforcrosswordfanatics. 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