| Library / English Dictionary |
CONTROVERSIAL
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Marked by or capable of arousing controversy
Example:
a controversial decision on affirmative action
Classified under:
Similar:
arguable; debatable; disputable; moot (open to argument or debate)
contentious (involving or likely to cause controversy)
disputed (subject to disagreement and debate)
polemic; polemical (of or involving dispute or controversy)
Antonym:
uncontroversial (not likely to arouse controversy)
Derivation:
controversy (a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement)
Context examples:
The role of climate change in the collapse of Classic Maya civilisation is somewhat controversial, partly because previous records are limited to qualitative reconstructions, for example whether conditions were wetter or drier.
(Scientists measure severity of drought during the Maya collapse, University of Cambridge)
The results call into question controversial findings that some reversals could occur within a human lifetime.
(Earth's last magnetic field reversal took far longer than once thought, National Science Foundation)
