A strong, public disagreement over an important issue. It often involves many people taking sides and arguing over what is right.
From Latin *controversia* 'dispute, debate', from *contra* 'against' and *versus* 'turned'. It originally described matters 'turned against' each other in debate.
A controversy is like a long-term argument that society hasn’t settled yet—about politics, science, art, or morals. The same topic can be controversial in one country and totally boring in another. The word clues you in that emotions and identities, not just facts, are involved.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.