"controvert" meaning in English

See controvert in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-controvert.wav Forms: controverts [present, singular, third-person], controverting [participle, present], controverted [participle, past], controverted [past]
Etymology: Borrowed from Medieval Latin contrōvertere, from Latin contrō- (“against”) + vertere (“to turn”). Etymology templates: {{bor+|en|la-med|contrōvertere}} Borrowed from Medieval Latin contrōvertere, {{der|en|la|contrō-||against}} Latin contrō- (“against”) Head templates: {{en-verb}} controvert (third-person singular simple present controverts, present participle controverting, simple past and past participle controverted)
  1. (transitive) To dispute, to argue about (something). Tags: transitive
    Sense id: en-controvert-en-verb-TmZp3MDv
  2. (transitive) To argue against (something or someone); to contradict, to deny. Tags: transitive
    Sense id: en-controvert-en-verb-bwabvqvV
  3. (intransitive) To be involved or engaged in controversy; to argue. Tags: intransitive Translations (be involved or engaged in controversy): controvertir (Catalan), спорить (sporitʹ) (Russian)
    Sense id: en-controvert-en-verb--Vmbdlyj Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with Catalan translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with Romanian translations, Terms with Russian translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 6 9 85 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 15 15 70 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 7 7 86 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 6 6 88 Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 13 22 66 Disambiguation of Terms with Catalan translations: 14 14 72 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 19 21 60 Disambiguation of Terms with Romanian translations: 14 14 72 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 15 15 71 Disambiguation of 'be involved or engaged in controversy': 1 1 98
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: controvertist Related terms: controversial, controversialist, controversy, controverter, controvertible, incontrovertible Translations (dispute or argue using reason): споря (sporja) (Bulgarian), оспорвам (osporvam) (Bulgarian), controvertir (Catalan), controverser (French), contrazice (Romanian), tăgădui (Romanian), nega (Romanian)
Disambiguation of 'dispute or argue using reason': 32 29 39

Inflected forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "controvertist"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-med",
        "3": "contrōvertere"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Medieval Latin contrōvertere",
      "name": "bor+"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "contrō-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "against"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin contrō- (“against”)",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Medieval Latin contrōvertere, from Latin contrō- (“against”) + vertere (“to turn”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "controverts",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "controverting",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "controverted",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "controverted",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "controvert (third-person singular simple present controverts, present participle controverting, simple past and past participle controverted)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "controversial"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "controversialist"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "controversy"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "controverter"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "controvertible"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "incontrovertible"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "attestations": [
        {
          "date": "from 16th c.",
          "references": []
        }
      ],
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "To dispute, to argue about (something)."
      ],
      "id": "en-controvert-en-verb-TmZp3MDv",
      "links": [
        [
          "dispute",
          "dispute"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To dispute, to argue about (something)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "attestations": [
        {
          "date": "from 16th c.",
          "references": []
        }
      ],
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              122,
              134
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1791 (date written), Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], published 1792, →OCLC:",
          "text": "[T]hat women from their education and the present state of civilized life, are in the same condition, cannot, I think, be controverted.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To argue against (something or someone); to contradict, to deny."
      ],
      "id": "en-controvert-en-verb-bwabvqvV",
      "links": [
        [
          "contradict",
          "contradict"
        ],
        [
          "deny",
          "deny"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To argue against (something or someone); to contradict, to deny."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "attestations": [
        {
          "date": "from 17th c.",
          "references": []
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "6 9 85",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "15 15 70",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "7 7 86",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "6 6 88",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "13 22 66",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "14 14 72",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Catalan translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "19 21 60",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "14 14 72",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Romanian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "15 15 71",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To be involved or engaged in controversy; to argue."
      ],
      "id": "en-controvert-en-verb--Vmbdlyj",
      "links": [
        [
          "controversy",
          "controversy"
        ],
        [
          "argue",
          "argue"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To be involved or engaged in controversy; to argue."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "1 1 98",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "lang_code": "ca",
          "sense": "be involved or engaged in controversy",
          "word": "controvertir"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 1 98",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "sporitʹ",
          "sense": "be involved or engaged in controversy",
          "word": "спорить"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-controvert.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fb/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-controvert.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-controvert.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fb/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-controvert.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-controvert.wav.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "_dis1": "32 29 39",
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "lang_code": "bg",
      "roman": "sporja",
      "sense": "dispute or argue using reason",
      "word": "споря"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 29 39",
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "lang_code": "bg",
      "roman": "osporvam",
      "sense": "dispute or argue using reason",
      "word": "оспорвам"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 29 39",
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "lang_code": "ca",
      "sense": "dispute or argue using reason",
      "word": "controvertir"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 29 39",
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "lang_code": "fr",
      "sense": "dispute or argue using reason",
      "word": "controverser"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 29 39",
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "lang_code": "ro",
      "sense": "dispute or argue using reason",
      "word": "contrazice"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 29 39",
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "lang_code": "ro",
      "sense": "dispute or argue using reason",
      "word": "tăgădui"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 29 39",
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "lang_code": "ro",
      "sense": "dispute or argue using reason",
      "word": "nega"
    }
  ],
  "word": "controvert"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English terms borrowed from Medieval Latin",
    "English terms derived from Latin",
    "English terms derived from Medieval Latin",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with Catalan translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with Romanian translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "controvertist"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-med",
        "3": "contrōvertere"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Medieval Latin contrōvertere",
      "name": "bor+"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "contrō-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "against"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin contrō- (“against”)",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Medieval Latin contrōvertere, from Latin contrō- (“against”) + vertere (“to turn”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "controverts",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "controverting",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "controverted",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "controverted",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "controvert (third-person singular simple present controverts, present participle controverting, simple past and past participle controverted)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "controversial"
    },
    {
      "word": "controversialist"
    },
    {
      "word": "controversy"
    },
    {
      "word": "controverter"
    },
    {
      "word": "controvertible"
    },
    {
      "word": "incontrovertible"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "attestations": [
        {
          "date": "from 16th c.",
          "references": []
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To dispute, to argue about (something)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "dispute",
          "dispute"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To dispute, to argue about (something)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "attestations": [
        {
          "date": "from 16th c.",
          "references": []
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              122,
              134
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1791 (date written), Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], published 1792, →OCLC:",
          "text": "[T]hat women from their education and the present state of civilized life, are in the same condition, cannot, I think, be controverted.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To argue against (something or someone); to contradict, to deny."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "contradict",
          "contradict"
        ],
        [
          "deny",
          "deny"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To argue against (something or someone); to contradict, to deny."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "attestations": [
        {
          "date": "from 17th c.",
          "references": []
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English intransitive verbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To be involved or engaged in controversy; to argue."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "controversy",
          "controversy"
        ],
        [
          "argue",
          "argue"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To be involved or engaged in controversy; to argue."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-controvert.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fb/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-controvert.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-controvert.wav.mp3",
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    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "lang_code": "bg",
      "roman": "sporja",
      "sense": "dispute or argue using reason",
      "word": "споря"
    },
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "lang_code": "bg",
      "roman": "osporvam",
      "sense": "dispute or argue using reason",
      "word": "оспорвам"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "lang_code": "ca",
      "sense": "dispute or argue using reason",
      "word": "controvertir"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "lang_code": "fr",
      "sense": "dispute or argue using reason",
      "word": "controverser"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "lang_code": "ro",
      "sense": "dispute or argue using reason",
      "word": "contrazice"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "lang_code": "ro",
      "sense": "dispute or argue using reason",
      "word": "tăgădui"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "lang_code": "ro",
      "sense": "dispute or argue using reason",
      "word": "nega"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "lang_code": "ca",
      "sense": "be involved or engaged in controversy",
      "word": "controvertir"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "sporitʹ",
      "sense": "be involved or engaged in controversy",
      "word": "спорить"
    }
  ],
  "word": "controvert"
}

Download raw JSONL data for controvert meaning in English (4.7kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-01-25 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-01-01 using wiktextract (f492ef9 and 9905b1f). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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