controversy

2 definitions • 4 examples

a lot of disagreement or argument about something, usually because it affects or is important to many people:

controversy surrounding/over There was a big controversy surrounding/over the use of drugs in athletics.

fierce/heated controversy The policy has caused fierce/heated controversy ever since it was introduced.

a disagreement, often a public one, that involves different ideas or opinions about something:

[ C ] Publication of the article unleashed a scientific controversy that raged for years.

[ U ] The president’s decisions stirred up a lot controversy.