controversial

adjective

con·​tro·​ver·​sial ˌkän-trə-ˈvər-shəl How to pronounce controversial (audio)
-ˈvər-sē-əl
1
: of, relating to, or arousing controversy
a controversial policy
a controversial film
2
: given to controversy : disputatious
a controversial temperament
The controversial biologist caused a ferment among his colleagues.
controversialism noun
controversialist noun
controversially adverb

Examples of controversial in a Sentence

Abortion is a highly controversial subject. a decision that remains controversial He is a controversial author.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Offensive posts by Gascón from 2020 and 2021 surfaced online last month, many of which included controversial comments about the killing of George Floyd and diversity at the Oscars. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 24 Feb. 2025 Germany's conservatives are projected to win the national election on Sunday while the controversial far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party records its best-ever results in an election, exit polls showed. Mark Joseph, Newsweek, 24 Feb. 2025 Tickets for Fyre Festival 2, a second iteration of the infamous Fyre Festival in 2917, are now available for sale to the public after its controversial founder, Billy McFarland, spent time behind bars for fraud related to the original event. Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2025 Starbucks’ iced energy drinks and its controversial olive oil coffees have already been removed from menus. Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 24 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for controversial

Word History

Etymology

see controversy

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of controversial was in 1583

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Cite this Entry

“Controversial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/controversial. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

controversial

adjective
con·​tro·​ver·​sial ˌkän-trə-ˈvər-shəl How to pronounce controversial (audio)
-ˈvər-sē-əl
: relating to or causing controversy
a controversial movie
controversially
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on controversial

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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