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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

controversial en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • /ˌkɒn.tɹəˈvɜː.ʃəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˌkɑn.tɹəˈvɝ.ʃəl/ (General-American)
  • /ˌkɒn.tɹəˈvøː.ʃəl/ (New-Zealand)
  • /ˌkɔn.tɹəˈvɜː.ʃəl/ (Australia)
  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˌkɑn.tɹəˈvɝ.sjəl/ (General-American)
  • /ˌkɑn.tɹəˈvɝ.si.əl/ (General-American)
  • /ˌkɒn.tɹəˈvɜː.sjəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • [ˌkɔ̟n.tɹəˈvøː.ʃɫ̩] (New-Zealand)
  • [ˌkɑn.t͡ʃɹəˈvɝ.ʃɫ̩] (General-American)

Etymology

From Latin contrōversiālis, from contrōversia + -ālis. By surface analysis, controversy + -al.

Meanings

  1. Arousing or likely to arouse controversy.
    • MAHER: Well, whatever. I just said we shouldn't have two national anthems. We're one country. It's not a good idea. We've seen what happens in other countries where you have, you know- when you separate things out. That's never where America was. That's never where liberalism was. It was about being a colorblind society. So, a new national anthem? Fine. I'll go for that. But not two. Because that leads down a road we don't wanna go. Applause. KIMMEL: Do you feel like... MAHER: Thank you. KIMMEL: Hey there's a lot of fear in the air and generally, you don't want to be caught applauding something that might be controversial. MAHER: I couldn't give a fuck. KIMMEL: I wasn't talking about you. 2021 September 16, Bill Maher, 7:52 from the start, in Bill Maher on Getting Anger from Both Sides, Our Divided Country & Norm Macdonald’s Passing, Jimmy Kimmel Live!:
    • Whole libraries of controversial books. 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:
  2. Engaging in or given to controversy; disputatious, argumentative.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
most controversial Degree=Sup lexicographic
controversional alternative, nonstandard lexicographic
more controversial Degree=Cmp lexicographic

Antonyms

non-controversial · incontrovertible · uncontroversial · noncontroversial

Deriveds

postcontroversial · controversialize · controversially · precontroversial · controversialism · controversialness

Relateds

controversy · controversialist · controversiality · controvertible · controverter · controvert

Synonyms

contested · contentious · hot

Translations (87)

hu vitás (arousing controversy) · mi whakawehewehe (arousing controversy) · mi kūraruraru (arousing controversy) · pt controverso (arousing controversy) · sh kontrovèrzan (arousing controversy) · kk таласты (arousing controversy) · ga aighneasach (arousing controversy) · es controvertido (arousing controversy) · lv pretrunīgs (arousing controversy) · ru дискуссио́нный (arousing controversy) · gd connspaideach (arousing controversy) · uk дискусі́йний (arousing controversy) · cs kontroverzní (arousing controversy) · et vastuoluline (arousing controversy) · hu vitatott (arousing controversy) · da kontroversiel (arousing controversy) · ca controvertit (arousing controversy) · hu sok vitát kiváltó (arousing controversy) · sk kontraverzný (arousing controversy) · ar مَحَل جَدَل (arousing controversy) · id kontroversial (arousing controversy) · ro controversabil (arousing controversy) · hy վիճահարույց (arousing controversy) · de umstritten (arousing controversy) · kk жанжалды (arousing controversy) · pt polémico (arousing controversy) · fy kontroversjeel (arousing controversy) · hu nagy port kavaró (arousing controversy) · ar مُثِيرٌ لِلْجَدَل (arousing controversy) · pt polêmico (arousing controversy) · fo umstríddur (arousing controversy) · it controverso (arousing controversy) · el αμφιλεγόμενος (arousing controversy) · de kontrovers (arousing controversy) · da omstridt (arousing controversy) · nn kontroversiell (arousing controversy) · sv kontroversiell (arousing controversy) · ko 논쟁의 여지가있는 (arousing controversy) · kk даулы (arousing controversy) · hu ellentmondásos (arousing controversy) · pl kontrowersyjny (arousing controversy) · tr ihtilaflı (arousing controversy) · km ចម្រូងចម្រាស់ (arousing controversy) · be спо́рны (arousing controversy) · cmn 有爭議 /有争议 (arousing controversy) · ro discutabil (arousing controversy) · uk спі́рний (arousing controversy) · lv strīdīgs (arousing controversy) · tr tartışmalı (arousing controversy) · es controvertible (arousing controversy) · cy dadleuol (arousing controversy) · es polémico (arousing controversy) · is umdeildur (arousing controversy) · nb kontroversiell (arousing controversy) · fi kiistelty (arousing controversy) · cs sporný (arousing controversy) · nb omstridd (arousing controversy) · sk sporný (arousing controversy) · lv kontroversiāls (arousing controversy) · be спрэ́чны (arousing controversy) · ka საკამათო (arousing controversy) · ga conspóideach (arousing controversy) · bg спо́рен (arousing controversy) · hu megosztó (arousing controversy) · la contrōversus (arousing controversy) · ja 論争の的の (arousing controversy) · nb omstridt (arousing controversy) · sv omstridd (arousing controversy) · he שָׁנוּי בְּמַחֲלֹקֶת (arousing controversy) · ca polèmic (arousing controversy) · tr çelişmeli (arousing controversy) · nl omstreden (arousing controversy) · ru спо́рный (arousing controversy) · az mübahisəli (arousing controversy) · nn omstridd (arousing controversy) · hi विवादास्पद (arousing controversy) · fr polémique (arousing controversy) · fr controversé (arousing controversy) · ro polemizat (arousing controversy) · gd connsachail (arousing controversy) · gu વિવાદાસ્પદ (arousing controversy) · ru сомни́тельный (arousing controversy) · gl controvertido (arousing controversy) · es controversial (arousing controversy) · ro controversat (arousing controversy) · fi kiistanalainen (arousing controversy) · eo polemika (arousing controversy)

controversial en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ˌkɒn.tɹəˈvɜː.ʃəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˌkɑn.tɹəˈvɝ.ʃəl/ (General-American)
  • /ˌkɒn.tɹəˈvøː.ʃəl/ (New-Zealand)
  • /ˌkɔn.tɹəˈvɜː.ʃəl/ (Australia)
  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˌkɑn.tɹəˈvɝ.sjəl/ (General-American)
  • /ˌkɑn.tɹəˈvɝ.si.əl/ (General-American)
  • /ˌkɒn.tɹəˈvɜː.sjəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • [ˌkɔ̟n.tɹəˈvøː.ʃɫ̩] (New-Zealand)
  • [ˌkɑn.t͡ʃɹəˈvɝ.ʃɫ̩] (General-American)

Etymology

From Latin contrōversiālis, from contrōversia + -ālis. By surface analysis, controversy + -al.

Meanings

  1. (archaic) Someone or something (such as a matter or an argument) that is controversial.
    • Napoleon’s a pastry / Get this under your brow / All those big wig controversials / Are all commercials now. 1993, Harold Meyerson, Ernie Harburg, with Arthur Perlman, Who Put the Rainbow in The Wizard of Oz? Yip Harburg, Lyricist, Ann Arbor, Mich.: The University of Michigan Press, →ISBN, page 357:
    • No fundamental doctrine was omitted. Controversials were carefully avoided. Whether any blessing attended these attempts, will be known at the last day. 1864, John Price, Old Price’s Remains; Præhumous, or During Life; Comprising, with Select Patches of “Birkenhead Shore,” Various Other Articles, Scientific and Literary, Grave and Gay, London: Virtue, Brothers, […], page 88:
    • It would be interesting to know whether the leadership capacities with which the controversials are credited is a mitigating factor with respect to their risk potential. 2000, J. D. Coie, K. A. Dodge, H. Coppotelli, “Dimensions and types of social status: a cross-age perspective”, in Peter K. Smith, A[nthony] D. Pellegrini, editors, Psychology of Education: Major Themes, volumes IV (Social behaviour and the school peer group), London; New York, N.Y.: RoutledgeFalmer, →ISBN, part XXI (Friendship, social competence), page 111:
    • One manager identified himself as a controversial, indicating both his formal role and confrontational style as reasons as to why he was both greatly liked and disliked. […] Lastly, a few managers suggested that controversials might have specific personality traits that make them liked by some and disliked by others. 2016, Inga Carboni, Tiziana Casciaro, edited by Dejun Tony Kong and Donelson R[oss] Forsyth, Leading through Conflict: Into the Fray (Jepson Studies in Leadership), Palgrave Macmillan, →ISBN, page 122:
    • Although the numbers of controversial children were few, their finely tuned distinction between types of transgression concurs with the observation that the behaviour of controversials is highly skilled. While the behaviour of controversial children may often meet with negative reactions from peers and reprimands from adults, controversials may engage in even more prosocial behaviour than do popular peers (Dodge, 1983). 1997, Michael Siegal, Knowing Children: Experiments in Conversation and Cognition (Essays in Developmental Psychology), 2nd edition, Hove, East Sussex: Psychology Press, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN, page 116:
    • Blowing like a blast of fresh astringent air into the hot-house atmosphere of these vapid languors, came news from America of a Rational Dress Campaign. Mrs. Amelia Bloomer’s conspicuous controversials were a wonderful gift to Punch, and were welcomed with enthusiasm and joyful derision by the cartoonists […] 1961, Alison Adburgham, A Punch History of Manners and Modes, 1841–1940, London: Hutchinson & Co., page 39:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
controversials Number=Plur lexicographic
controversional alternative, nonstandard lexicographic

Relateds

disputatious · debatable · controvertible · polemical · disputable