controversial
adjective /ˌkɒntrəˈvɜːʃl/
/ˌkɑːntrəˈvɜːrʃl/
- causing a lot of angry public discussion and disagreement
- a highly controversial topic
- one of the most controversial of London’s new office blocks
- A controversial plan to build a new road has met with protests.
- Winston Churchill and Richard Nixon were both controversial figures.
Extra ExamplesTopics Opinion and argumentb2, Feelingsb2- a highly controversial subject
- Her controversial new play sparked a riot outside the theatre.
- It is one of the most controversial of London's new office buildings.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- prove
- become
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
Word Originlate 16th cent.: from late Latin controversialis, from controversia, from controversus ‘turned against, disputed’, from contro- (variant of contra- ‘against’) + versus, past participle of vertere ‘to turn’.