as in dispute
variance of opinion on a matter
a heated disputation over the true authorship of the poem popularly known as "The Night Before Christmas"
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Recent Examples of disputation
Jake is a single father who has brought Kristen up in the severe Calvinist tradition, marked by Bible disputations of Talmudic intricacy and by a radical detachment from secular and popular culture.
—
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2023
Seven decades later, this culture of disputation emerged as a central theme in Timothy Garton Ash’s The Magic Lantern, his eyewitness report on the Eastern European revolutions of 1989.
—Susie Linfield, The New York Review of Books, 11 May 2022
By taking steps to remember that politics always involves disputation, even among those who vote for the same candidates and affiliate with the same party, Americans may begin to rediscover the ability to respectfully disagree with opponents.
—Robert B. Talisse, The Conversation, 3 Jan. 2022
Abstruse disputation is hardly unknown but argument has reached a new level with threats of lawsuits and charges of snobbish bigotry and snowflake naïveté.
—Ethan Bronner, Bloomberg.com, 29 Sep. 2020
See All Example Sentences for disputation
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2023
Seven decades later, this culture of disputation emerged as a central theme in Timothy Garton Ash’s The Magic Lantern, his eyewitness report on the Eastern European revolutions of 1989.
—Susie Linfield, The New York Review of Books, 11 May 2022
By taking steps to remember that politics always involves disputation, even among those who vote for the same candidates and affiliate with the same party, Americans may begin to rediscover the ability to respectfully disagree with opponents.
—Robert B. Talisse, The Conversation, 3 Jan. 2022
Abstruse disputation is hardly unknown but argument has reached a new level with threats of lawsuits and charges of snobbish bigotry and snowflake naïveté.
—Ethan Bronner, Bloomberg.com, 29 Sep. 2020
See All Example Sentences for disputation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disputation
Noun
-
But before the action alights in the location of the latest dispute between adjacent property owners to catch the eye of directors Harrison Fishman and Dylan Redford (yes, grandson of Robert), the shot fills with the telltale red, white and blue of the American flag.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
-
While Japan has seized fishing vessels from South Korea and Taiwan in recent years, the incident is the first involving a vessel from China since 2022 and comes against the backdrop of a major diplomatic dispute between the countries.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But whether our collective desire has been sated is up for (a lot of) debate.—
Hannah Jocelyn,
New Yorker,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The Berlinale has long been considered a forum for political expression and a crucible for debate about important world affairs, but avoiding political comment has seemingly been a trend at this year’s event, whether by chance, design or out of fear.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Independent reported that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who is also facing Epstein connected controversy over the appointment and subsequent firing of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States, attended the reception.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
-
But the controversy surrounding the event with halftime performer Bad Bunny likely stoked additional interest.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This is not necessarily a disagreement with the party itself, but with certain practices that limit openness.—
Mary Ramsey,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Debates and disagreements have gotten personal.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disputation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disputation. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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