controversially
controversially — adjective
- controversiallypositive
- more controversiallycomparative
- most controversiallysuperlative
1. describes a subject, action, or decision that makes people hold strongly differe
describes a subject, action, or decision that makes people hold strongly different opinions and argue publicly about it
Rania's plan to close the library was a controversial decision that upset local residents.
collocation: controversial decision
The new housing development remains a controversial topic among members of the community.
collocation: controversial topic
Liang wrote a controversial article about the future of public libraries in small towns.
Astrid knew her speech would be controversial, but she chose to speak openly anyway.
The film's final scene became one of the most controversial moments in recent cinema history.
- divisive
emphasises that an issue splits people into opposing groups
- contentious
more formal; suggests a long-lasting dispute
- debatable
weaker than 'controversial'; simply means open to argument
- uncontroversial
describes something that most people agree on
- noncontentious
formal; not causing any disagreement
常見錯誤
2. describes a person who enjoys expressing opinions that upset or divide people, o
describes a person who enjoys expressing opinions that upset or divide people, or who often starts arguments
In team meetings, Emre often takes a controversial position on every new suggestion from colleagues.
collocation: takes a controversial position
Nora tends to be controversial in group discussions and rarely accepts other people's views.
The journalist built his reputation by being deliberately controversial on social media.
Mira has a controversial nature and loves to challenge everything the teacher says.
- argumentative
more common in everyday English; describes a person who frequently disagrees
- disputatious
very formal; describes a tendency to engage in formal disputes
- provocative
describes someone who deliberately provokes a reaction
- agreeable
describes someone who generally accepts others' opinions
- conciliatory
describes someone who tries to resolve disagreements
用法筆記
Unlike the CAUSING DEBATE sense, this sense describes a person's character rather than a subject or action. It is formal and more common in written criticism than in everyday conversation.
常見錯誤
controversially — adverb
1. in a manner that creates strong disagreement, angry public discussion, or intens
in a manner that creates strong disagreement, angry public discussion, or intense debate among people about a particular action or statement
The new tax law was controversially passed without any open debate in parliament.
passive structure: was controversially passed
Yael spoke controversially at the conference about the need to reduce school holidays.
The statue was controversially removed from the town square late at night.
Rachid controversially argued that the hospital should cut its weekend services to save money.
The company controversially decided to build a new factory near a national park.
- contentiously
more formal; emphasises that the action sparked a dispute
- provocatively
describes actions meant to provoke a reaction rather than merely causing disagreement
- polemically
highly formal; describes aggressive argument in writing or speech
- uncontroversially
in a way that most people agree with or accept
- harmoniously
in a peaceful way without disagreement