1
as in disputes
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 disputations
variance of opinion on a matter
there is considerable controversy regarding the assassination of President Kennedy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of controversies
More recently, controversies like a Pokemon card game event that was originally planned to be held at a shrine to honor Japan’s war dead still triggered angry comments on Chinese social media, but no obvious broader repercussions.
—
Chan Ho-Him, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
Years of high-profile controversies — plea deals, pardons and investigations that feel politicized depending on who is involved — have left Americans skeptical that justice is blind.
—Kaitlyn Buss, Boston Herald, 8 Feb. 2026
The controversies that have embroiled recent British prime ministers look quaint by recent American standards.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
The recent headlines are the latest in a series of controversies and bad news for the future queen of Norway.
—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 6 Feb. 2026
The negative reaction, which also led to fans resurfacing Underwood’s past legal controversies, got so bad that The Traitors had to issue a statement condemning the cyberbullying and harassment of the cast.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 6 Feb. 2026
Critics, however, countered that Kamau's political identity does not exempt him from basic legal standards and that the case was one of several controversies that eroded confidence in his administration.
—Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Three Sheep has previously faced a slew of social media controversies, including a $10 million fine for hawking mooncakes that came from mainland China but were falsely promoted as luxury Hong Kong products.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
As The Ringer podcaster Van Lathen told The Times, sports controversies stoke engagement in teams and players.
—Emil Steiner, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Chan Ho-Him, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
Years of high-profile controversies — plea deals, pardons and investigations that feel politicized depending on who is involved — have left Americans skeptical that justice is blind.
—Kaitlyn Buss, Boston Herald, 8 Feb. 2026
The controversies that have embroiled recent British prime ministers look quaint by recent American standards.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
The recent headlines are the latest in a series of controversies and bad news for the future queen of Norway.
—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 6 Feb. 2026
The negative reaction, which also led to fans resurfacing Underwood’s past legal controversies, got so bad that The Traitors had to issue a statement condemning the cyberbullying and harassment of the cast.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 6 Feb. 2026
Critics, however, countered that Kamau's political identity does not exempt him from basic legal standards and that the case was one of several controversies that eroded confidence in his administration.
—Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Three Sheep has previously faced a slew of social media controversies, including a $10 million fine for hawking mooncakes that came from mainland China but were falsely promoted as luxury Hong Kong products.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
As The Ringer podcaster Van Lathen told The Times, sports controversies stoke engagement in teams and players.
—Emil Steiner, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controversies
Noun
-
At least five competing proposals have emerged from major coalitions, several of which have fractured in recent days as internal disputes deepened.—
JACQUELINE CHARLES MIAMI HERALD,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
-
At least five competing proposals have emerged from major coalitions, several of which have fractured in recent days as internal disputes deepened.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
According to him, advances in machine learning have yanked questions once trapped inside theological/philosophical disputations into corporate board packs.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Anthropic’s founders are former OpenAI employees who left over disagreements about the ChatGPT maker’s direction, approach to safety and pace of AI development.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Instead, Sarandos bit his tongue for what must have been the 20th time that afternoon and offered the mildest of disagreements, saying only that most Americans don’t view Netflix as either Republican or Democratic.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The same rule that bans smoking and the use of cell phones during debates, among other things, also bars the display of slogans, banners or plaques.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Legal closure, unresolved debates With the misdemeanor plea now entered, Kamau avoids a felony conviction and the uncertainty of a jury trial.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Avoid money quarrels with everyone.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
8 Feb. 2026
-
His quarrels with Massie and interest in relitigating the 2020 election seem to animate him more, too.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Enhance your media literacy by learning the differences between news and opinion and, further, how to differentiate between advertising, news articles, letters, columns and editorials.—
Brenda Looper,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
-
This elevated risk in women may be rooted in biological differences (in the size and function of women’s hearts), or the unique hormonal factors and comorbidity burden in women.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The lawsuit claims that Metcalf had a history of being involved in altercations and alleges that Ford Field should have known about Metcalf's history and failed to protect Kennedy.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Clark warned him against becoming involved in any physical altercations.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Ratcliffe’s comments align with the arguments made by Britain’s right-wing populist Reform UK party, which ties its anti-immigrant message to protecting the country.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
12 Feb. 2026
-
The court is in the middle of a four-week break from hearing arguments and issuing opinions.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Controversies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controversies. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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