controversy

American  

[kon-truh-vur-see, kuhn-trov-er-see] / ˈkɒn trəˌvɜr si, kənˈtrɒv ər si /

noun

plural

controversies

1. a prolonged public dispute, debate, or contention; disputation concerning a matter of opinion.

   Synonyms:

   altercation, disagreement

2. contention, strife, or argument.

   Synonyms:

   wrangle, quarrel

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controversy British  

/ kənˈtrɒvəsɪ, ˈkɒntrəˌvɜːsɪ, ˌkɒntrəˈvɜːʃəl /

noun

1. dispute, argument, or debate, esp one concerning a matter about which there is strong disagreement and esp one carried on in public or in the press

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Usage

What does controversy mean? A controversy is a prolonged dispute, debate, or state of contention, especially one that unfolds in public and involves a stark difference of opinion.Controversy can refer to a specific dispute, as in The recent controversy started three weeks ago, or a general state of contention, as in Important literature usually results in controversy.The adjective form controversial is used to describe someone or something that causes people to get upset and argue.Example: The controversy surrounding the candidate’s past remarks has overshadowed the campaign.

Related Words

See argument.

Other Word Forms

• controversial adjective
• controversialism noun
• controversialist noun
• controversially adverb
• precontroversy noun

Etymology

Origin of controversy

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English controversie, from Anglo-French, from Latin contrōversia, from contrōvers(us) “turned against, disputed” ( contrō-, variant of contrā “against” + versus “turned,” past participle of vertere “to turn”) + -ia -y ³

Example Sentences

The party appeared to overcome this controversy by joining hands with Shah, a charismatic politician around whom voters could rally, but who had no organised party structure to rely on.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

To this day, it remains the biggest controversy in our family’s history.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

Bucknor, 63, found himself in another swirl of controversy as the first-base umpire on Tuesday.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

However, the new policy didn’t come without controversy: Wikipedia’s editors argued internally over various use cases for artificial intelligence, including the potential inclusion of now-common internet features like generated article summaries.

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

This all came to a head in the tokens controversy.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Related Words

• argument
• bickering
• difference
• discussion
• fuss
• quarrel
• squabble
• strife
• wrangle
• wrangling