de ‧ bat ‧ a ‧ ble AC /dɪˈbeɪtəb ə l/ BrE AmE adjective
things that are debatable are not certain because people have different opinions about them SYN arguable :
a debatable point
it is debatable whether/how etc
It’s debatable whether this book is as good as her last.
Whether the object was used for rituals is highly debatable.
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THESAURUS
▪ controversial causing a lot of disagreement and angry argument, especially in the newspapers, on television etc:
Abortion is a controversial subject.
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The film was highly controversial at the time.
▪ contentious formal likely to cause a lot of disagreement and argument :
the contentious issue of immigration
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These claims are highly contentious.
▪ debatable/arguable used when you think that something is not certain and that people have different opinions about it, especially in the phrase it is debatable/arguable whether :
It is debatable whether this book is as good as her previous novel.
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It is arguable whether these measures will reduce the overall cost.
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Does the treatment work? I think that’s debatable.
▪ something is a moot point used when you think that something is not certain and that people have different opinions about it - a rather formal phrase:
Whether this proposal will really reduce crime is a moot point.