controversy noun
ADJ. considerable, great, major | bitter, fierce, raging, violent | lively His views have excited a lively controversy among fellow scientists. | fresh, further, new, renewed | continued, continuing, long-standing, prolonged | public | political | religious, theological | academic, critical, scholarly
VERB + CONTROVERSY arouse, cause, create, excite, fuel, give rise to, provoke, spark (off), stir up What they are doing is bound to stir up controversy. | be dogged by, be marked by, be riven by, be surrounded by This year's championships have been dogged by controversy. | avoid The prime minister seemed anxious to avoid controversy about these appointments. | run into The network ran into controversy over claims of faked documentary footage. | be no stranger to The MP, who is no stranger to controversy herself, said the scandal could have serious repercussions. | court The singer deliberately courts controversy with his racist and sexist lyrics.
CONTROVERSY + VERB arise, break out A fierce controversy has broken out over the issue. | rage Controversy is raging over the route of the new motorway. | exist Controversy exists as to how safe these drugs are. | centre on sth The controversy centred on the issue of compensation for the victims. | surround sth Much controversy surrounds the new exam.
PREP. amid ~ The minister has resigned amid continuing controversy over his education proposals. | ~ about/concerning/over There has been a lot of controversy over the use of these drugs. | ~ among controversy among historians | ~ between controversy between the two leaders | ~ surrounding the bitter controversy surrounding the introduction of the new regulations | ~ with her long-running controversy with fellow academics
PHRASES a matter/source/subject of controversy, a storm of controversy The book raised a storm of controversy.
You can also check other dicts: controversy (English, 中文解释 ), wordnet sense, Collins Definition