hot-button
adjective
exciting strong feelings; highly charged; emotional.
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hot-button
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hot button
hot button
hot-button
American
[hot-buht-n]
/ ˈhɒtˈbʌt n /
adjective
hot button
British
noun
Etymology
Origin of hot-button
First recorded in 1985–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The show customarily known as "South Park" is set in small-town America and known for crude language and lampooning hot-button social issues.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
On the hot-button topic of the impact of artificial intelligence, he’s worried about it when combined with some troubling market mechanics.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 18, 2026
Broken streetlights emerged as an hot-button issue in this year’s election, with council members scrambling to find ways to restore them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2026
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 ● Jan. 15, 2026
Naturally, the couple segues into another disagreement, arguing about where to spend their upcoming vacation — a hot-button issue, since Joan’s cancer treatments are no longer working and time is suddenly precious.
From Salon ● Nov. 27, 2025
They already post man-on-the-street-style interviews on social media, in which they ask people to weigh in on hot button questions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
Instead of the large-studio presence, this year’s festival offered an intriguing mix of provocative films from around the globe, featuring hot button issues, occasional movie stars and artistic flourishes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
"The line is a bomb - a hot button thing that's really funny," says Martin Freeman, who stars alongside Lowden.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2025
But while the show was, indeed, partly inspired by a hot button cultural moment, it’s not a fantasy one.
From New York Times ● Nov. 8, 2023
A central theme has been the role of women in church governance, but other hot button issues are also on the agenda, including acceptance for LGBTQ+ Catholics and priestly celibacy.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 16, 2023
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
