1
as in contentious
relating to or causing the expression of opposing opinions
tried to avoid controversial topics over the holiday dinner table
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in polemical
given to arguing
controversial by temperament, she's the sort of political attack dog who kills all hope of bipartisanship
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of controversial
Last November, United States Figure Skating instituted a controversial trans-athlete ban.
—
Jasmine Wynn, Time, 9 Feb. 2026
News round-up Is the controversial European Super League officially dead?
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The film received strong reviews, but was considered to be so controversial that several major festivals, including Sundance and SXSW, passed on the opportunity to have it in their lineups.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 9 Feb. 2026
How the figure skating backflip became so controversial Backflipping has long been a thorny topic in the figure skating world.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for controversial
Jasmine Wynn, Time, 9 Feb. 2026
News round-up Is the controversial European Super League officially dead?
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The film received strong reviews, but was considered to be so controversial that several major festivals, including Sundance and SXSW, passed on the opportunity to have it in their lineups.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 9 Feb. 2026
How the figure skating backflip became so controversial Backflipping has long been a thorny topic in the figure skating world.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for controversial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controversial
Adjective
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His margin of victory was 481 votes, and he was declared the winner several weeks after the election following a contentious recount.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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The Clippers also traded Chris Paul, who hadn’t been with the team since November after his return turned contentious amid the early struggles.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Colleges and universities nationwide continue to grapple with polemic issues associated with the fair treatment of individuals of differing backgrounds, political persuasions, and sexuality.—
Blake D. Morant,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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This kind of depravity, licentiousness and polemical theatrics has no place on such a traditional and once wholesome presentation of the coming of a new year in our great nation and especially on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the greatest experiment in democracy and freedom in history.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In the meantime, an unstable government could become more rather than less aggressive, not least to keep younger hard-liners from rebelling.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026
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Wiener helped push two new California laws last year — the No Secret Police Act and the No Vigilantes Act — in the wake of intense and aggressive immigration enforcement by masked ICE and other federal agents in California and around the country.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Controversial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controversial. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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