hot-button

American

[hot-buht-n] / ˈhɒtˈbʌt n /

adjective

exciting strong feelings; highly charged; emotional.

hot-button issues.

hot button British

noun

informal
1. a controversial subject or issue that is likely to arouse strong emotions
2. ( as modifier )
  
  the hot-button issue of abortion

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of hot-button

First recorded in 1985–90

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023