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adjective

controversial

CEFR B1

marked by or capable of arousing controversy

In a sentence

Six example sentences with controversial, each labelled with its topic.

  • The most controversial clause in the bill split the governing party, and two committee members resigned before the vote.

    Politics

  • The sculpture outside the station remains controversial: half the town wants it lit at night, half wants it removed.

    Art

  • The patch was controversial enough that forums argued for weeks about whether the shorter reload ruined competitive play.

    Gaming

  • The controversial foul call in the final second is still argued about, and the league later admitted the referee erred.

    Basketball

  • The controversial paper claimed that memory could be inherited, and three labs spent a year failing to repeat it.

    Science

  • A minimum wage remains controversial among economists, with studies finding either fewer jobs or no effect at all.

    Economics

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Found in these word lists

Found in 3 published word listsAuthoritative

Each source is a published word list that contains controversial. No exam board publishes an official GRE, GMAT or SAT list; GMAT words come from GRE lists and the Academic Word List.