controversial

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   marked by or capable of arousing controversy

   the issue of the death penalty is highly controversial

2. 2
   adj

   Arousing or likely to arouse controversy.

   Whole libraries of controversial books.

3. 3
   noun

   Someone or something (such as a matter or an argument) that is controversial.

   No fundamental doctrine was omitted. Controversials were carefully avoided. Whether any blessing attended these attempts, will be known at the last day.

4. 4
   adj

   Engaging in or given to controversy; disputatious, argumentative.

Etymology

From Latin contrōversiālis, from contrōversia + -ālis. By surface analysis, controversy + -al.