controversies

IPA/ˈkɒn.trə.vɜː.si/
KK[kˈɑntrəvˌɚsiz]IPA/ˈkɑːn.trə.vɝː.si/

controversies — noun

  • controversiessingular
  • controversiesesplural

1. a situation in which many people express strong, opposing opinions about somethi

1.nounB2
Definition

a situation in which many people express strong, opposing opinions about something, especially when the subject affects the public or is discussed widely in the media

Example

The mayor's plan to close the public library sparked a huge controversy across the city.

controversy + sparked / triggered by an action

The scientific journal published a special issue addressing the controversy over climate change data.

controversy + over + topic

Common collocations
  • spark a controversy
  • trigger a controversy
  • fuel a controversy
  • be surrounded by controversy
  • court controversy
  • controversy erupts
  • controversy rages
  • political controversy
  • public controversy
  • controversy over/about/around/surrounding
Synonyms
  • dispute

    more specific to an argument between particular people or groups, often less public than a controversy

  • debate

    a structured discussion rather than angry disagreement; can be neutral or formal

  • public outcry

    strong public anger rather than just disagreement; more emotional

  • row (British/informal)

    a less formal, often more personal argument; not suitable for formal writing

Antonyms
  • consensus

    general agreement among a group, the opposite of a divided argument

  • agreement

    a state where people share the same opinion

Grammar Patterns

controversy + about/over/around/surrounding + topic

controversy + between/among + participants

Usage Note

Commonly used in news and political contexts. Frequently takes prepositions 'over', 'about', 'surrounding', or 'around' to indicate the subject. The uncountable form ('controversy') is more general; the countable plural ('controversies') refers to multiple distinct disputes.

Common Mistakes

There is a big controversy between the scientists.
There is a big controversy among scientists about climate change.
'controversy' takes 'about/over/around' for the topic, not 'between' for participants (use 'among' for participants).
The decision made a controversy.
The decision caused / sparked / triggered a controversy.
'make' is not used with controversy; use 'cause', 'spark', 'trigger', 'fuel', or 'provoke'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While all these words involve disagreement, 'controversy' is the broadest — it describes a prolonged public disagreement that draws in many people and often involves moral, political, or scientific questions. A 'dispute' is more focused on a specific claim or conflict between named parties (a dispute between a landlord and tenant). A 'debate' is a structured exchange of arguments that may be calm and reasoned, whereas controversy typically involves heat and emotion. 'Contention' is a formal term for disagreement within a group and is less common in everyday use. 'Public outcry' implies angry public reaction rather than just difference of opinion, and is usually shorter-lived. For example: 'The policy sparked a national controversy that lasted for months' suggests prolonged public division, while 'The policy sparked public outcry' suggests immediate anger that may fade faster.

dispute ↗debate ↗contention ↗public outcry

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a source of controversy
  • the center of controversy
  • a matter of controversy

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word comes from Latin 'controversia', meaning 'a dispute' or 'a turning against'. It is formed from 'contra-' (against) and 'versus' (turned, from 'vertere' meaning to turn). The sense of a public disagreement involving many people developed in English from the 14th century onward.

First known use

15th century

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1