Controversial: meaning, example and synonyms

Controversialadj. Causing strong disagreement or public debate.

Flashcard for Controversial (adjective): causing strong disagreement or public debate. Example: The proposal to build a highway through the wetland proved controversial, dividing residents who valued jobs from those who valued the marsh. Synonyms: contentious, disputed, divisive, debatable. Antonyms: uncontroversial, accepted, undisputed, uncontested. Memory tip: contra ("against") + versus ("turned"): opinions turned against each other. Illustration: a town meeting where two groups of fully clothed people hold up opposing hand-drawn signs without any readable writing.

Example

The proposal to build a highway through the wetland proved controversial, dividing residents who valued jobs from those who valued the marsh.

Part of speech
adjective
Synonyms
contentious, disputed, divisive, debatable
Antonyms
uncontroversial, accepted, undisputed, uncontested
Memory tip
contra ("against") + versus ("turned"): opinions turned against each other.

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Check yourself: Controversial in context

Pick the word that best completes each text, as on the SAT's words-in-context questions.

Question 1

The decision to remove the old statue from the town square was ______; hundreds attended the meeting, and the vote was nearly tied.

Question 2

When it was first published, the theory that continents drift was ______, rejected by many geologists for decades before new evidence won them over.

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