Meanings
present singular third person controverts · participle present controverting · participle past controverted · past controverted
- transitiveTo argue against (something or someone); to contradict, to deny.First known use 16th c.
[T]hat women from their education and the present state of civilized life, are in the same condition, cannot, I think, be controverted.
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
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincontrō-“against”
- Medieval Latincontrōvertere
- Englishcontrovert
Borrowed from Medieval Latin contrōvertere, from Latin contrō- (“against”) + vertere (“to turn”).
More words from Medieval Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian споря, оспорвам
- споря (sporja)dispute or argue using reason
- оспорвам (osporvam)dispute or argue using reason
Catalan controvertir, controvertir
- controvertirbe involved or engaged in controversy
- controvertirdispute or argue using reason
French controverser
- controverserdispute or argue using reason
Romanian contrazice, tăgădui
- contrazicedispute or argue using reason
- tăgăduidispute or argue using reason
- negadispute or argue using reason
Russian спорить
- спорить (sporitʹ)be involved or engaged in controversy
Cite this entry
controvert. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/controvert
“controvert.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/controvert. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “controvert,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/controvert.
Source: controvert on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.