Definition of "controversy" []

• A dispute, especially a public one, between sides holding opposing views. See Synonyms at argument. (noun)
• The act or practice of engaging in such disputes: writers skilled at controversy. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "My current favorite Palin controversy is whether or not she attended the secessionist Alaska Independence Party's 1994 convention."
• "If the matter in controversy is important, so that defeat is a serious blow to the credit or the power of the litigant who is worsted, that interest becomes a"
• "With just a wee bit of hubris, Devenanzio, who believes he made "Johnny Bananas" a household name, told TMZ the name controversy is "in no way coincidental and is instead an attempt to capitalize on the name recognition which I'm solely responsible for creating.""