Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

controversial

/ˌkɒn.tɹəˈvɜː.ʃəl/ adjective

In Latin: contrōversus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about controversial at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Arousing or likely to arouse controversy.
Engaging in or given to controversy; disputatious, argumentative.

noun

Someone or something (such as a matter or an argument) that is controversial.

Origin

From Latin contrōversiālis, from contrōversia + -ālis. By surface analysis, controversy + -al.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word