controversial

adjective

ˌkän-trə-ˈvər-shəl How to pronounce controversial (audio)
Definition of controversialnext
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

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.
Recent Examples of controversial Carrington took time to reduce the list of possibilities by one, but for whatever reason, continues to remain vague and mysterious about the controversial post. — Scott Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Planning For Taxes Lastly, there is the increasingly controversial issue of taxes. — Radu Magdin, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 His career, both celebrated and, at times, controversial, spans some 70 years. — Kelefa Sanneh, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026 Instead, the controversial trade led to Nelson’s own departure from the Warriors only a few months later after the team got off to a miserable 14-31 start in 1994-95. — Carl Steward, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for controversial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controversial
  1. contentious
  2. polemical
  3. aggressive
Adjective
  • Transcripts reviewed by ProPublica and The Post show the hearing frequently resembled a contentious criminal trial.
    — Molly Hensley-Clancy, ProPublica, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The team was in bankruptcy court in part because of legal issues with its prior owner, Frank McCourt, who was locked in contentious divorce proceedings.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of contentious
Adjective
  • Even so, the film’s gaze is more anthropological than polemical, especially given the faux-doc vibe created by its abundant handheld camerawork, seemingly filmed sometimes by the actors themselves.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Now, in the 1500s and 1600s, that phrase was often used by Catholics in their polemical war against Protestants.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026
Definition of polemical
Adjective
  • His preference for a 4-2-3-1 has been evident, however, and the German is looking for Newcastle to be aggressive in the press, intensive and also direct, with a plan to get the ball forward as quickly as possible.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Throughout his scuffles, however, Boone felt Grisham had gotten more aggressive inside the strike zone.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of aggressive

Browse Nearby Words

controls
controversial
controversies
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Controversial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controversial. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on controversial

Nglish: Translation of controversial for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zeugma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All