Master confusing words with ease
Contentious vs. Controversial
Contentious
/kənˈtenʃəs/Examples:
The meeting turned contentious over budget cuts.Her speech sparked a contentious debate in the community.Contentious politics often leads to heated arguments.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Controversial
/ˌkɒntrəˈvɜːʃəl/Examples:
The artist's new exhibition is highly controversial.Her remarks on the policy were deemed controversial.Debates about the controversial film continue.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Both words relate to disagreement, but they are used in slightly different contexts.
- Contentious often implies a tendency to cause arguments, while controversial suggests a subject that sparks debate and disagreement.
- If an issue is contentious, it is likely to provoke arguments among people, often due to different interpretations.
- Meanwhile, controversial issues are ones that receive a lot of public attention and spark divided opinions.
- In legal terms, contentious is used to describe cases that involve dispute, while controversial encompasses a broader range and is used in discussions about public opinion topics.
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