controversy

American  

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

noun

• controversies
  plural

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.

Synonym Usage

See argument.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• controversies
  plural

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

Explanation

A controversy is a dispute or argument in which people express strong opposing views. When a popular TV show kills off a well-loved character, there's bound to be a lot of controversy. Controversy means a quarrel (often public) involving strong disagreement, but the topic can be as unimportant as a new movie. There might be a controversy in the pages of fashion magazines over whether shorter hems are really in style, or about wearing white after Labor Day. Controversy is from the Latin contrōversus, "turned in an opposite direction," from the prefix contrā, "against," plus versus, a form of vertere, "to turn."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

controversy controversies

Say Agency acknowledged the controversy in a Telegram post last week, external, but defended its decision to bring West to Russia.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

It’s too early to say if the controversy over this ad will affect sales for Callaway or viewership for Good Good, or hurt female participation in golf.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

But that strategy has also bred controversy, with a sponsored factory tour for a group of Western influencers in 2023 sparking a strong backlash for glossing over alleged labour violations.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

As the controversy engulfed the confirmation process, the conservative-leaning Wall Street Journal revived a nearly two-decade-old plagiarism accusation against Totenberg, dating from her time as a reporter for the National Observer.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

Once this controversy was put aside, members of the Free African Society patrolled the streets daily, rounding up the ill and finding shelter for homeless children.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy

“Typically, single-ad controversies blow over after a few news cycles,” Justin Ehrlich, associate professor of sport analytics at Syracuse University, told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

The controversies have coincided with a drop in Reform polling support and in popularity for Farage, long a divisive figure loved and loathed in largely equal measure.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

In a statement posted to social media, the KFA said: "We offer our deepest apologies for the disappointment and concern caused by the various controversies."

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Madison, and you say that’s limited to cases or controversies as Article 3 of the Constitution explains.

From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026

I worked the printing presses at the Idisher Kuryer, which rarely delved into politics and spent its page space kvetching about community controversies.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Related Words

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