as in controversial
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1
as in questioned
to demand proof of the truth or rightness of
a whole slew of relatives eager to dispute his claim to being the sole heir
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bickered
to express different opinions about something often angrily
hometown fans disputing with visiting fans over which had the better team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in debated
to talk about (an issue) usually from various points of view and for the purpose of arriving at a decision or opinion
in an extended session the city council disputed the need for a new high school
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Recent Examples of disputed
Kate Bartlett, NPR, 3 Nov. 2025
In disputed territories, the drone’s ability to deliver real-time monitoring and rapid response capabilities could give operators a significant tactical advantage, reinforcing control over contested zones, the South China Morning Post writes.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2025
Palace’s first goal came from a corner — albeit a disputed one, given the final touch seemed to come off Tyrick Mitchell — as a back-post ball towards Marc Guehi forced a mistake from Ryan Gravenberch, whose misplaced header fell perfectly for Ismaila Sarr to score.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Washington’s nominee for ambassador to South Africa used his confirmation hearing to offer support for disputed claims that the country’s white minority was under attack.
—semafor.com, 24 Oct. 2025
The disputed money appears to surround Jay-Z’s music-streaming app Tidal, based on her support of tweets from Barbz referencing the app, as seen by Complex.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2025
How the court handles the disputed evidence—and whether federal agencies correct or stand by their initial narrative—could shape not only this prosecution but also the broader debate over the use of force and accountability in federal immigration enforcement operations in Chicago.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Arunachal Pradesh is a disputed region in the Himalayan mountains along the India-China border.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 6 Jan. 2026
The utility disputed that claim, saying the outage was an internal problem at the jail.
—Nandika Chatterjee, Time, 6 Jan. 2026
In response to congressional reaction, Rubio disputed the claim that the land operation in Venezuela required congressional approval.
—Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 5 Jan. 2026
Kelly and others who participated in the video have disputed that claim.
—Chris Boccia, ABC News, 5 Jan. 2026
Although the results of his 2024 reelection are disputed, a number of governments — China, Russia and Egypt among them — recognized his victory.
—Joshua Goodman, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
President Samia Suluhu Hassan was reelected last month, but the vote was marred by violence — widespread protests were met with bloody crackdowns, reportedly killing 800, although the government disputed the figure.
—Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 10 Nov. 2025
He was accused of harassing the troops, though O'Hara disputed the claim.
—Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025
The domestic violence case was dismissed and the theft charge had yet to be disputed in court.
—Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
Tanzania is one of several African countries to hold disputed elections this year that have resulted in unrest.
—Verb
Walz and other state officials have disputed that estimate.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for disputed
Adjective
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This loss had to be especially tough for the Jayhawks, considering a controversial holding call on KU changed the momentum of the game.—
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Watson’s combination of scientific achievement and controversial remarks created a complicated legacy.—
Verb
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Parents have also questioned why no new security procedures have been put in place to improve locker room supervision or restrict cell phone use among the staff.—
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This defiance has rallied Danes behind her, though critics have questioned her ability to defend the homeland.—
Verb
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On 33 occasions since 2017, Congress has been forced to pass emergency extensions to the flood insurance program, as lawmakers bickered over budgets and looming shutdowns threatened to disrupt it, according to a letter the National Association of Realtors sent to Congress ahead of the shutdown.—
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In recent years, the companies have bickered about the rise of streaming services, in which the media companies are investing billions of dollars and which lure away cable and satellite customers.—
Verb
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The airstrikes were not authorized by Congress, and their legality has been debated.—
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Regardless of political party or ideology, Americans have the right to witness important issues like crime and drugs debated in an open and fair forum.—
Adjective
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As for what kind of case Greene will build to defend Reiner, the legal tea leaves remain inconclusive.—
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Videos of the encounter posted on social media are inconclusive, but if the animals were indeed Burmese pythons, this would likely be the first time aquatic courtship behavior was documented in Florida.—
Verb
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The Avs challenged for offsides, and the goal was taken off the board.—
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The 90-minute delay challenged everyone in the arena to find ways to kill time.—
Verb
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But the department has argued the sheer volume of documents that need to be found, uploaded, reviewed, redacted and published has forced it to instead release the files online on a rolling basis, with a series of enormous document dumps over the course of several days in mid-December.—
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Skelton argued that the city’s code lays out a specific process for declaring an animal as dangerous, which often entails a day in municipal court.—
Verb
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Thursday’s report is not the first time the possibility of Trump pardoning Combs has been publicly discussed.—
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This tension was on display in Paris this week, when representatives from 35 countries, including the US, discussed how to guarantee Ukraine’s post-war security in the event of a peace deal with Russia.—
Cite this Entry
“Disputed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disputed. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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