noun
Meanings
-
1
noun
a person who regularly engages in public controversy or polemical debate
The controversialist answered criticism sharply but quoted every opponent fairly.
Thesaurus
Opposites
Word family
Forms
controversialists
Derived forms
controversialists
Etymology
Formed from controversial + -ist. Controversial derives from controversy, through Latin controversia, literally a 'turning against' from contra, 'against,' + versus, 'turned.' The suffix marks a person characteristically engaged in such disputes.