controversial

American  

[kon-truh-vur-shuhl] / ˌkɒn trəˈvɜr ʃəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of controversy, or prolonged public dispute, debate, or contention; polemical.

   a controversial book.

2. subject to controversy; debatable.

   a controversial decision.

   Synonyms:

   questionable, arguable

3. given to controversy; argumentative; disputatious.

   a controversial public figure.

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Usage

What does controversial mean? Controversial is used to describe someone or something that causes people to get upset and argue. Controversial is the adjective form of the noun controversy, which is a prolonged dispute, debate, or state of contention, especially one that unfolds in public and involves a stark difference of opinion. Things commonly called controversial include topics, actions, and people (particularly for what they say and do). Example: Questions about the candidate’s controversial remarks from the past prevented him from talking about his campaign.

Other Word Forms

• controversialism noun
• controversialist noun
• controversially adverb
• noncontroversial adjective
• noncontroversially adverb
• precontroversial adjective
• uncontroversial adjective
• uncontroversially adverb

Etymology

Origin of controversial

First recorded in 1575–85; from Late Latin contrōversiālis; equivalent to controversy + -al ¹

Explanation

If a politician ran for office on the platform that children should be put to work from age six, his platform is likely to be controversial, meaning it will cause controversy, or a long discussion among people with opposing opinions. Controversies are usually public disagreements about important matters. The adjective controversial is from the Latin from controversus "disputed," formed from the prefix contra- "against" plus versus, from vertere "to turn." The Latin suffix –ialis, corresponding to the English suffixes –ial and –al, means "relating to or characterized by."

Example Sentences

Masemola's court case relates to a tender awarded to controversial businessman Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala's company Medicare24 Tshwane District in 2024, which was meant to provide health services to the police.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

A controversial housing and hotel complex that will stand out on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood got the go-ahead from the City Council.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

He and the creative team behind “Michael” had to craft a new ending to a movie already delicately designed to tell an uplifting story about a controversial protagonist.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

The first batch of deportees arrived last Friday in the central African country under a controversial US migration scheme to pack off undocumented foreign nationals to third countries.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

A controversial minority view is that of the linguist Joseph Greenberg, who groups all Native American languages other than Eskimo-Aleut and Na-Dene languages into a single large family, termed Amerind, with about a dozen subfamilies.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• contentious
• disputed
• dubious
• questionable