TOP

Definition of controversial adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

controversial

adjective
 
 
/ˌkɒntrəˈvɜːʃl/
 
/ˌkɑːntrəˈvɜːrʃl/
jump to other results
  1. 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.
    opposite non-controversial, uncontroversial
    Extra Examples
    • 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.
    Topics Opinion and argumentb2, Feelingsb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • prove
    • become
    • …
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    • …
    See full entry
    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’.
See controversial in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee controversial in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: controversial

Other results

All matches

Nearby words

given
adjective
 
 
From the Word list
OPAL spoken words
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day