hot-button

American  

[hot-buht-n] / ˈhɒtˈbʌt n /

adjective

1. exciting strong feelings; highly charged; emotional.

   hot-button issues.

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hot button British  

noun

1. informal

   1. a controversial subject or issue that is likely to arouse strong emotions

   2. ( as modifier )

      the hot-button issue of abortion

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Etymology

Origin of hot-button

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

Political discord and polarization in the U.S. means most brands will continue to avoid hot-button topics.

From The Wall Street Journal

And its success inspired other topical, complicated shows throughout the 1970s, from direct spinoffs like “The Jeffersons” to ABC’s blockbuster miniseries “Roots”— about multiple generations of a Black family enslaved in the pre-Civil War South—which likely wouldn’t have received approval if “All in the Family” wasn’t drawing in big audiences while talking about hot-button issues.

From The Wall Street Journal

That middle-of-the-road phrasing is a result of the rising perils of wading into hot-button issues in recent years.

From Barron's

A chatbot collected opinions on hot-button political topics from people in the U.K. and aggregated users’ responses into a group statement that emphasized common ground.

From The Wall Street Journal

He said yes to Meathead, assuming that the sitcom’s hot-button bigotry would be so incendiary that it couldn’t possibly last longer than 13 episodes.

From Los Angeles Times