controversy

Meaning

1. 1nouncountable or uncountable

   A long and heated argument in public about something that many people feel strongly about and disagree on.

   Grammar: Uncountable for the general idea: it caused controversy; countable for a case: a controversy over fees.

   Patterns

   • controversy over something
   • controversy about something
   • controversy surrounding something

   The new law caused a great deal of controversy.

   There is still controversy over how the money was spent.

   The film stirred a controversy about its use of real events.

Word forms

Common combinations

spark controversy

The coach's comments sparked controversy.

cause controversy

The statue has caused controversy since it was unveiled.

controversy over

There was controversy over the referee's decision.

surrounded by controversy

The project was surrounded by controversy from the start.

heated controversy

The proposal led to a heated controversy at the meeting.

mired in controversy

The committee has been mired in controversy for months.

Synonyms and how they differ

dispute

Dispute often means a specific disagreement between two sides, while controversy is wider and public.

debate

Debate can be calm and structured, whereas controversy implies strong feelings and conflict.

row

Row is a British informal word for a noisy quarrel, while controversy is a more serious public matter.

furor

Furor stresses a sudden outburst of public anger, while controversy can last a long time.

Opposites

Word family

controversial adjective

likely to cause strong disagreement

controversially adverb

in a way that causes debate

controvert verb

to argue against, a formal and rare word

uncontroversial adjective

not likely to cause disagreement

Commonly confused: controversy or conversation?

Practice

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