Adjacent Words

Controversy definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CONTROVERSY, n. [L. See Controvert.]
1. Dispute; debate; agitation of contrary opinions. A dispute is commonly oral, and a controversy in writing. Dispute is often or generally a debate of short duration, a temporary debate; a controversy is often oral and sometimes continued in books or in law for months or years.
This left no room for controversy, about the title.
Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. 1 Timothy 3.
2. A suit in law; a case in which opposing parties contend for their respective claims before a tribunal.
And by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried. Deutoronomy 21.
3. Dispute; opposition carried on.
The Lord hath a controversy with the nations. Jeremiah 25.
4. Opposition; resistance.
And stemming [the torrent] with hearts of controversy.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement; "they were involved in a violent argument" [syn: controversy, contention, contestation, disputation, disceptation, tilt, argument, arguing]

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural -sies) Etymology: Middle English controversie, from Anglo-French, from Latin controversia, from controversus disputable, literally, turned against, from contro- (akin to contra-) + versus, past participle of vertere to turn — more at worth Date: 14th century 1. a discussion marked especially by the expression of opposing views ; dispute 2. quarrel, strife

Oxford Reference Dictionary

disp. n. (pl. -ies) a prolonged argument or dispute, esp. when conducted publicly. Etymology: ME f. L controversia (as CONTROVERT)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Controversy Con"tro*ver`sy, n.; pl. Controversies. [L. controversia, fr. controversus turned against, disputed; contro- = contra + versus, p. p. of vertere to turn. See Verse.] 1. Contention; dispute; debate; discussion; agitation of contrary opinions. This left no room for controversy about the title. --Locke. A dispute is commonly oral, and a controversy in writing. --Johnson. 2. Quarrel; strife; cause of variance; difference. The Lord hath a controversy with the nations. --Jer. xxv. 31. 3. A suit in law or equity; a question of right. [Obs.] When any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment. --2 Sam. xv. 2. Syn: Dispute; debate; disputation; disagreement; altercation; contention; wrangle; strife; quarrel.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(controversies) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. Controversy is a lot of discussion and argument about something, often involving strong feelings of anger or disapproval. The proposed cuts have caused considerable controversy. N-VAR: oft N over/about n

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kon'-tro-ver-si (ribh, "strife," "contention"; homologoumenos, "confessedly," "without controversy"): Used frequently of disputes among men (as De 17:8) and then transferred to the justice of God as directed against the sins of men. Thus we read of Yahweh's controversy with the nations (Jer 25:31); with the inhabitants of the land (Ho 4:1); with His people (Mic 6:2). "Without controversy" (1Ti 3:16), a positive rather than a negative expression, "by common consent," or better, "as unanimously confessed," introducing a quotation from a hymn or rhythmical confession of the early church.

H. E. Jacobs

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Discussion, dispute, disputation, debate, polemics, altercation, logomachy, war of words, strife of words. 2. Lawsuit, suit at law, process in law.

Moby Thesaurus

Kilkenny cats, altercation, antagonism, apologetics, apologia, apology, argument, argumentation, bicker, bickering, blood feud, brawl, broil, casuistry, cat-and-dog life, clashing, combat, conflict, confrontation, contention, contentiousness, contest, contestation, contradiction, cut and thrust, debate, defense, difference, disaccord, disaccordance, disagreement, discord, discordance, discordancy, discrepancy, disharmony, disparity, disputation, dispute, dissension, dissent, dissidence, dissonance, disunion, disunity, divergence, diversity, donnybrook, donnybrook fair, embroilment, enmity, faction, falling-out, feud, fight, fighting, fliting, flyting, fracas, fuss, hassle, hostility, hubbub, hurrah, imbroglio, inaccordance, inequality, jarring, litigation, logomachy, miff, negation, open quarrel, opposition, oppugnancy, paper war, passage of arms, polemic, polemics, quarrel, quarreling, quarrelsomeness, questioning, repugnance, rhubarb, rumpus, scrapping, set-to, sharp words, slanging match, snarl, spat, squabble, squabbling, strife, struggle, tiff, tussle, unharmoniousness, variance, vendetta, verbal engagement, war, war of words, warfare, words, wrangle, wrangling