Синоним controversial

synonyms for controversial

  • contentious
  • disputed
  • dubious
  • questionable
  • arguable
  • argumentative
  • contended
  • contestable
  • controvertible
  • debateable
  • disputable
  • disputatious
  • doubtable
  • doubtful
  • dubitable
  • in dispute
  • litigious
  • moot
  • open to discussion
  • open to question
  • polemical
  • suspect
  • uncertain
  • under discussion

On this page you’ll find 50 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to controversial, such as: contentious, disputed, dubious, questionable, arguable, and argumentative.

Roget’s 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

TRY USING controversial

See how your sentence looks with different synonyms.

QUIZ

Don’t Go Retrograde On Your Word Of The Day Quiz Streak!

START THE QUIZ

How to use controversial in a sentence

SYNONYM OF THE DAY

OCTOBER 26, 1985

WORDS RELATED TO CONTROVERSIAL

  • contentious
  • controversial
  • disputable
  • doubtful
  • dubious
  • moot
  • open to question
  • questionable
  • sub judice
  • uncertain
  • unsure
  • belligerent
  • combative
  • contentious
  • contrary
  • controversial
  • disputatious
  • factious
  • fire-eating
  • having a chip on one’s shoulder
  • litigious
  • opinionated
  • pugnacious
  • quarrelsome
  • salty
  • scrappy
  • spiky
  • touchy
  • analytic
  • argumentative
  • controversial
  • dialectical
  • persuasive
  • polemical
  • rationalistic
  • arguable
  • controversial
  • doubtful
  • dubious
  • moot
  • mootable
  • problematic
  • questionable
  • uncertain
  • cantankerous
  • captious
  • caviling
  • contentious
  • controversial
  • dissentious
  • litigious
  • polemical
  • pugnacious
  • quarrelsome
  • belligerent
  • combative
  • contentious
  • controversial
  • disputatious
  • eristical
  • litigious
  • quarrelsome
  • scrappy
  • testy

Roget’s 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

What is another word for controversial?

756 synonyms found

Pronunciation:

[ kˌɒntɹəvˈɜːʃə͡l], [ kˌɒntɹəvˈɜːʃə‍l], [ k_ˌɒ_n_t_ɹ_ə_v_ˈɜː_ʃ_əl]

Table of Contents

  • adj.

    all (adjective)

    • controversial.

    arguable (adjective)

    • un-sure,
    • un sure.

    argumentative (adjective)

    • polemical,
    • spikier,
    • polemic,
    • fire-eating,
    • Eristic,
    • spikiest,
    • disputatious,
    • spiky,
    • scrappy,
    • fire eating,
    • opinionated,
    • having a chip on one’s shoulder,
    • salty.

    at issue (adjective)

    • in dispute,
    • uncertain,
    • debateable,
    • open to discussion,
    • argumentative,
    • dubious,
    • doubtful,
    • dubitable,
    • under discussion,
    • disputed,
    • Contended,
    • suspect,
    • Doubtable,
    • moot,
    • litigious,
    • contentious.

    contentious (adjective)

    • dissident,
    • confrontational,
    • quarrelsome,
    • argumentive,
    • resistant,
    • conflicting,
    • antagonistic,
    • contrary,
    • dissenting,
    • protesting,
    • oppositional.

    dialectic (adjective)

    • most rationalistic,
    • most dialectical,
    • rationalistic,
    • more dialectical,
    • more rationalistic.

    disputable (adjective)

    • Mootable.

    disputatious (adjective)

    • most dissentious,
    • most caviling,
    • dissentious,
    • more caviling,
    • more dissentious.

    eristic (adjective)

    • most eristical,
    • more eristical.

    live (adjective)

    • un-settled,
    • un settled.

    moot (adjective)

    • open debate,
    • most contestable,
    • un decided,
    • un-resolved,
    • un resolved,
    • un-decided,
    • more contestable.

    open (adjective)

    • yet to be decided,
    • up for discussion.

    Other relevant words: (adjective)

    • questionable,
    • unsubstantiated,
    • dialectic,
    • hard to believe,
    • under examination,
    • paradoxical,
    • open to doubt,
    • Controvertible,
    • open to debate,
    • disputable,
    • arguable,
    • open,
    • contestable,
    • at issue,
    • Sub Judice,
    • Eristical,
    • under advisement,
    • open to question,
    • unproven,
    • live.

    questionable (adjective)

    • most paradoxical,
    • un-confirmed,
    • hard believe,
    • open doubt,
    • most unconfirmed,
    • in definite,
    • most unproven,
    • un-reliable,
    • unconfirmed,
    • in-definite,
    • more paradoxical,
    • un-proven,
    • un proven,
    • hypo thetical,
    • un defined,
    • un reliable,
    • more unproven,
    • in determinate,
    • most controvertible,
    • un-defined,
    • pro visional,
    • more unconfirmed,
    • hypo-thetical,
    • more controvertible,
    • un confirmed.

    uncertain (adjective)

    • mysterious,
    • insecure,
    • undecided,
    • deniable,
    • confused,
    • changeable,
    • ambivalent,
    • unsure,
    • vague,
    • precarious,
    • tentative,
    • unconvinced.

    unsubstantiated (adjective)

    • uncorroborated,
    • unsupported.
  • n.

    • at odds (with),
    • at cross purposes,
    • at loggerheads (with someone),
    • on a collision course,
    • in contention,
    • discordant.

    controversial (noun)

    • debatable.

    debatable (noun)

    • in question,
    • subject to controversy,
    • provocative.

    litigiousness (noun)

    • fire-eatings,
    • opinionateds,
    • fireeatings,
    • factiou,
    • salties,
    • disputatiou,
    • fire eatings,
    • contentiou,
    • touchies,
    • quarrelsomes,
    • spikies,
    • pugnaciou,
    • litigiou,
    • controversials,
    • combatives.

    Other relevant words: (noun)

    • scrappies,
    • belligerents,
    • scrappiness,
    • Litigiousness,
    • Contraries.
  • v.

    Other relevant words: (verb)

    • opinion.
  • Other synonyms:

    • divided,
    • warring,
    • disunited,
    • unresolved,
    • irreconcilable,
    • controversially.

    • forensic.

    argumentative

    • dialectical.

    in dispute

    • issue.

    Other relevant words:

    • hypothetic,
    • springy,
    • persuasion,
    • cranky,
    • unvoiced,
    • dissenter,
    • scrapper,
    • spiritualist,
    • fly sheet,
    • argument,
    • arduous,
    • garbled,
    • fluky,
    • come forth,
    • publish,
    • militant,
    • burry,
    • ill-humoured,
    • dianoetic,
    • exist,
    • awful,
    • medium,
    • unproved,
    • shakeable,
    • subject,
    • flee,
    • hooligan,
    • supply,
    • vanish,
    • barbed,
    • spread out,
    • judgment,
    • outcome,
    • tent-fly,
    • indeterminate,
    • debate,
    • convulse,
    • turn over,
    • changeful,
    • bristly,
    • rivalry,
    • put out,
    • intemperate,
    • questioning,
    • mollify,
    • cryptical,
    • scattered,
    • consequence,
    • dreadful,
    • mired,
    • undefended,
    • sophism,
    • briary,
    • slick,
    • peckish,
    • address,
    • pilot,
    • building complex,
    • perverse,
    • backbreaking,
    • provisionary,
    • talk,
    • insubordinate,
    • distressing,
    • alive,
    • assailable,
    • exit,
    • war-ridden,
    • unstable,
    • abominable,
    • result,
    • supposititious,
    • political party,
    • strong,
    • embarrassing,
    • pestiferous,
    • peaky,
    • objector,
    • discard,
    • government issue,
    • techy,
    • sore,
    • at odds,
    • divided up,
    • pacify,
    • afflictive,
    • irritating,
    • incompatible,
    • contradictory,
    • event,
    • unreconcilable,
    • tight,
    • give,
    • plaintiff in error,
    • gruff,
    • bemused,
    • thug,
    • resistive,
    • outlet,
    • tortuous,
    • liken,
    • emerge,
    • on the table,
    • obstinate,
    • cast away,
    • mouth,
    • domain,
    • chancy,
    • foul,
    • emergence,
    • capable,
    • equate,
    • proceeds,
    • throw out,
    • experience,
    • transferrable,
    • peevish,
    • agonistic,
    • number,
    • unspeakable,
    • unfold,
    • hypothetical,
    • know,
    • comparability,
    • shrewmouse,
    • digressive,
    • rainfly,
    • slam dance,
    • heavy,
    • disputation,
    • steamy,
    • heart-to-heart,
    • intelligent,
    • shy,
    • progeny,
    • composite,
    • fell,
    • subsist,
    • arguing,
    • fling,
    • slam,
    • splenetic,
    • orphic,
    • assignable,
    • viscid,
    • high-risk,
    • yobo,
    • flail,
    • badgering,
    • bouncy,
    • aggressive,
    • bristled,
    • distressful,
    • notion,
    • impression,
    • clear,
    • verbalise,
    • bothersome,
    • thresh,
    • surd,
    • dodgy,
    • lick,
    • disturbing,
    • inscrutable,
    • street fighter,
    • petulant,
    • undefendable,
    • publication,
    • confounded,
    • upshot,
    • lam,
    • lost,
    • sturdy,
    • awkward,
    • pasty,
    • sentiment,
    • judgement,
    • wayward,
    • timid,
    • finespun,
    • snarly,
    • severely,
    • chatoyant,
    • disordered,
    • waspish,
    • thresh about,
    • byzantine,
    • umbrageous,
    • contestant,
    • placate,
    • competition,
    • guileful,
    • belief,
    • inhabit,
    • divinatory,
    • outdoors,
    • risky,
    • cast out,
    • roughneck,
    • go,
    • toughened,
    • intemperately,
    • hoodlum,
    • fractious,
    • perturbing,
    • pesky,
    • hold out,
    • appease,
    • shadowed,
    • repellent,
    • viscous,
    • smutty,
    • bully,
    • torment,
    • vital,
    • protester,
    • iridescent,
    • gnarly,
    • payoff,
    • overt,
    • toughie,
    • bad,
    • yob,
    • opinionative,
    • laborious,
    • mucilaginous,
    • shared out,
    • vaporize,
    • live on,
    • soft,
    • company,
    • mixed-up,
    • galling,
    • hood,
    • patch up,
    • take flight,
    • shadowy,
    • comparison,
    • negociate,
    • convoluted,
    • area,
    • flip,
    • inharmonic,
    • dispose,
    • mazed,
    • mistrustful,
    • cunning,
    • mistrust,
    • military issue,
    • hot,
    • voiceless,
    • fragile,
    • clobber,
    • tolerant,
    • ruffian,
    • baffling,
    • exposed,
    • assuage,
    • jactitate,
    • knobbed,
    • amazon,
    • offspring,
    • agonistical,
    • unenviable,
    • cream,
    • reconcile,
    • decisive,
    • knockout,
    • put away,
    • take,
    • mutable,
    • split,
    • obscure,
    • dual-lane,
    • chuck,
    • perilous,
    • disconnected,
    • divisive,
    • open up,
    • thrash about,
    • ruling,
    • mystic,
    • hardly,
    • issuance,
    • release,
    • vexing,
    • toss away,
    • lively,
    • controversy,
    • yield,
    • drub,
    • contestation,
    • toilsome,
    • bowl,
    • raw,
    • rambling,
    • utter,
    • shaky,
    • scratchy,
    • grueling,
    • crusty,
    • unfastened,
    • gluey,
    • unconnected,
    • bellicose,
    • suppositious,
    • shared,
    • supposed,
    • elusive,
    • flukey,
    • dissonant,
    • piquant,
    • troubling,
    • punishing,
    • fly front,
    • feisty,
    • complainant,
    • barbellate,
    • mosh,
    • punk,
    • endure,
    • bewildered,
    • wary,
    • topic,
    • tent flap,
    • wondering,
    • untrusting,
    • afford,
    • sphere,
    • battler,
    • feeling,
    • spread,
    • write out,
    • knavish,
    • view,
    • lenify,
    • foxy,
    • loose,
    • egress,
    • way out,
    • tetchy,
    • rugged,
    • unsafe,
    • unsolved,
    • consider,
    • effect,
    • opposite,
    • diffident,
    • field,
    • polemically,
    • equivalence,
    • plaguey,
    • stadium,
    • mystifying,
    • tilt,
    • knotted,
    • upset,
    • atrocious,
    • secret,
    • disharmonious,
    • fly ball,
    • cryptic,
    • disjointed,
    • go forth,
    • pestering,
    • self-opinionated,
    • cast aside,
    • antipathetical,
    • affecting,
    • popular opinion,
    • unrecorded,
    • legal opinion,
    • sophistication,
    • catchy,
    • unmanageable,
    • slash,
    • toss out,
    • frail,
    • bedevilment,
    • undefined,
    • talk terms,
    • make up,
    • battleful,
    • heretical,
    • throw away,
    • burred,
    • curmudgeonly,
    • incertain,
    • gummy,
    • pettish,
    • takings,
    • touching,
    • be,
    • dwell,
    • notional,
    • unsealed,
    • fishy,
    • gruelling,
    • baffled,
    • at sea,
    • coordination compound,
    • tricksy,
    • inquisitive,
    • tender,
    • counter,
    • snarled,
    • befuddled,
    • filthy,
    • faint,
    • terrible,
    • wispy,
    • concentrated,
    • conveyable,
    • teasing,
    • irritable,
    • wily,
    • resilient,
    • deep,
    • thin-skinned,
    • bat,
    • fragmented,
    • populate,
    • pass,
    • verbalize,
    • huffy,
    • scene of action,
    • make out,
    • antipathetic,
    • briery,
    • plaguy,
    • distrust,
    • illogical,
    • wing,
    • deliberate,
    • heterodox,
    • funny,
    • rowdy,
    • occult,
    • reverse,
    • fighter,
    • slippery,
    • orbit,
    • muggy,
    • appellate,
    • open air,
    • yobbo,
    • settle,
    • chuck out,
    • logical thinking,
    • combatant,
    • strong-armer,
    • heavily,
    • abstract thought,
    • surface,
    • last,
    • immune,
    • mystical,
    • adverse,
    • worrisome,
    • survive,
    • leery,
    • transferable,
    • hold up,
    • thought,
    • thinking,
    • self-contradictory,
    • broken,
    • accommodate,
    • come out,
    • shot,
    • bring out,
    • on the fence,
    • out-of-doors,
    • sensible,
    • gruntle,
    • parlous,
    • testy,
    • spiny,
    • probationary,
    • pitch,
    • aviate,
    • sky,
    • crafty,
    • goon,
    • dim,
    • cruddy,
    • annoying,
    • firmly,
    • provisional,
    • severe,
    • excursive,
    • matter,
    • cut,
    • issuing,
    • litigator,
    • gentle,
    • surmise,
    • glutinous,
    • sly,
    • gnarled,
    • hirsute,
    • receptive,
    • return,
    • disoriented,
    • opened,
    • candid,
    • dissentient,
    • touch-and-go,
    • public opinion,
    • sports stadium,
    • ruffianly.

    Other relevant words (noun):

    • complex,
    • intricate,
    • shrew,
    • plaintiff,
    • painful,
    • gladiatorial,
    • problematical,
    • suspicious,
    • termagant,
    • suppositional,
    • nettlesome,
    • knotty,
    • difficult,
    • iffy,
    • tough,
    • party,
    • delicate,
    • Confuted,
    • controversialist,
    • disputant,
    • doubted,
    • Argumental,
    • refutable,
    • sticky,
    • confutable,
    • Questioned,
    • speculative,
    • cat-and-dog,
    • discursive,
    • louche,
    • Contradictable,
    • nasty,
    • contested,
    • complicated,
    • worrying,
    • shady,
    • hard,
    • factious,
    • in doubt,
    • Mistakable,
    • reasoning,
    • pro and con,
    • defendant,
    • hairy,
    • litigant,
    • virago,
    • troublesome,
    • involved,
    • unconcluded,
    • confutative,
    • unsettled,
    • debater,
    • poignant,
    • combative,
    • critical,
    • tricky,
    • touchy,
    • Discursory,
    • vexatious,
    • undetermined,
    • unpacific,
    • ticklish,
    • contention,
    • prickly,
    • sensitive,
    • challengeable,
    • indefinite,
    • appellant,
    • shakable,
    • disputative,
    • ill-humored,
    • conjectural,
    • arguer,
    • pettifogging,
    • disreputable,
    • belligerent,
    • tangled,
    • problematic,
    • thorny.

How to use «Controversial» in context?

Controversial is a word that people either love or hate. It is often associated with things that annoy or bother them, which is why it is often used in negative ways. However, the word can also have a positive connotation if it is used in a constructive way. For example, being controversial can lead to more people listening to you, which could help you achieve your goals. It can also open people’s minds to new ideas, and help them to see things from a different perspective. In short, being controversial can be a useful tool, if used correctly.

Paraphrases for Controversial:

Paraphrases are highlighted according to their relevancy:
  • Equivalence

    • Adjective
      contentious, disputable, disputed, polemical.
  • Reverse Entailment

    • Adjective
      uncontroversial.
  • Independent

    • Adjective
      ambiguous, ambivalent, challenging, critical, delicate, difficult, disagreement, doubtful, exciting, fierce, heated, inconsistent, intractable, litigious, lively, mixed, moot, provocative, tricky, unanimous, Impugned, Conflictive, adversarial.
  • Other Related

    • Adjective
      arguable, argumentative, conflicting, confrontational, contestable, contested, contradictory, controversy, debatable, divisive, dubious, objectionable, paradoxical, problematic, questionable, sensitive, sticking, thorny, undisputed, conflictual, much-discussed.
    • Proper noun, singular
      controversy.

Homophones for Controversial:

  • controversially.

Filters

Filter synonyms by Letter

A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y

Filter by Part of speech

adjective

phrase

noun

Suggest

If you know synonyms for Controversial, then you can share it or put your rating in listed similar words.

Suggest synonym

Menu

Controversial Thesaurus

Definitions of Controversial

Controversial Antonyms

Nearby Words

controversy, controversialist, controversially

External Links

Other usefull sources with synonyms of this word:

Synonym.tech

Merriam-webster.com

Thesaurus.com

Collinsdictionary.com

Wiktionary.org

Similar words of controversial

Photo search results for Controversial

Free stock photo of adolescent, afro hair, bed Free stock photo of adult, afro hair, apartment Free stock photo of adolescent, adult, afro hair Free stock photo of adult, afro hair, apartment

Image search results for Controversial

argument, conflict, controversy trump, us president, usa debate, meeting, appointment fight, controversial, conflict fight, poster, panel meeting, appointment, opportunity

Cite this Source

  • APA
  • MLA
  • CMS

Synonyms for Controversial. (2016). Retrieved 2023, May 01, from https://thesaurus.plus/synonyms/controversial

Synonyms for Controversial. N.p., 2016. Web. 01 May. 2023. <https://thesaurus.plus/synonyms/controversial>.

Synonyms for Controversial. 2016. Accessed May 01, 2023. https://thesaurus.plus/synonyms/controversial.

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:1.0 / 2 votes

  1. List of paraphrases for «controversial»:

    contentious, disputed, contradictory, controversy, polemical, debatable, questionable, contested, divisive, conflicting, uncontroversial, dubious, disputable

How to pronounce controversial?

How to say controversial in sign language?

How to use controversial in a sentence?

  1. Cecil Andrus:

    I suspect they know what they are planning will be very controversial and, for that reason, want to keep it secret.

  2. Supreme Court:

    Today’s decision reflects a significant step away from the idea of independent executive branch agencies, although the court limited its holding to whether a single director of The CFPB could be protected from being fired by the President for any reason, its analysis makes clear that a majority of the current Justices are skeptical of any independence within the executive branch — which could open the door to even broader and more significant challenges to older — and less controversial — agencies going forward.

  3. President Barack Obama:

    I’m sorry, but yes, it is fair to call it a conspiracy, what are you saying? Are you suggesting that the notion that we are creating a plot to take everybody’s guns away so that we can enforce marshal law is a conspiracy? Yes, that is a conspiracy. I would hope you would agree with that. Is that controversial?

  4. Mary Watkins:

    I wanted to come see it right now because it’s so controversial, i really hope people look at the exhibit as a whole instead of making a snap judgment … without viewing the whole exhibit, you are not getting the full effect.

  5. Daniel Post Senning:

    Those are important discussions to have, but they are controversial and require a level of discretion, care and tact to navigate. You have to think about your audience and the potential impact of those discussions.


Translations for controversial

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • مثيرة للجدلArabic
  • споренBulgarian
  • controvertitCatalan, Valencian
  • sporný, kontroverzníCzech
  • kontroversiel, omstridtDanish
  • kontrovers, umstrittenGerman
  • αμφιλεγόμενοςGreek
  • controversial, controvertidoSpanish
  • vastuolulineEstonian
  • kiistelty, kiistanalainenFinnish
  • umstríddurFaroese
  • polémique, controverséFrench
  • aighneasach, conspóideachIrish
  • connspaideach, connsachailScottish Gaelic
  • שנויה במחלוקת, שנוי במחלוקתHebrew
  • vitás, vitatott, nagy port kavaróHungarian
  • վիճահարույցArmenian
  • disputabilInterlingue
  • umdeildurIcelandic
  • ចម្រូងចម្រាស់Khmer
  • kontroversiāls, pretrunīgs, strīdīgsLatvian
  • omstredenDutch
  • kontroversiellNorwegian
  • kontrowersyjnyPolish
  • polémicoPortuguese
  • controversabil, polemizat, discutabil, controversatRomanian
  • спорныйRussian
  • kontrovèrzanSerbo-Croatian
  • kontraverzný, spornýSlovak
  • kontroversiell, omstriddSwedish
  • ที่เถียงกันThai
  • tartışmalı, çelişmeli, ihtilaflıTurkish
  • суперечливийUkrainian
  • gây tranh cãiVietnamese

Get even more translations for controversial »

Translation

Find a translation for the controversial synonym in other languages:

Select another language:

  • — Select —
  • 简体中文 (Chinese — Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese — Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Citation

Use the citation below to add these synonyms to your bibliography:

Are we missing a good synonym for controversial?

All synonyms in one line

arguable, argumentative, captious, debatable, dialectic, en.synonym.one, disputable, disputatious, forensic, improper, indecent, indecisive, indelicate, indiscreet, moot, open, persuasive, quarrelsome, questionable, rationalistic, rhetorical, risqué, scabrous, treacherous, uncertain, undecided, en.synonym.one, undetermined, unsettled.

Like the site?

This search took 0.0297 sec. Think how often you are looking for something to replace a word with? Probably often. Bookmark synonym.one to find synonyms, antonyms and meanings quickly. (press Ctrl + D on your keyboard).

Понравилась статья? Поделить с друзьями:
  • Синоним chemist s
  • Синоним constitute
  • Синоним funds
  • Синоним cheat
  • Синоним consists of