|kän.trə|vər]shəl, -və̄], -vəi], ]sēəl also ]shēəl adjective
Etymology: Late Latin controversialis, from Latin controversia controversy + -ialis -ial
1. : subject to controversy : relating to or arousing controversy : being an object of controversy
a controversial figure in public life
the matter is … highly controversial and calculated to provoke violent dissent in many quarters — Times Literary Supplement
2. : given to controversy : engaging in controversy : disputatious , polemic
dogmatic treatises commonly were controversial …, directed against pagans or Jews, or Gnostics or Manicheans — H.O.Taylor
• con·tro·ver·sial·ism -əˌlizəm noun -s
• con·tro·ver·sial·ly -əlē, -li\ adverb