See controversy in Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus II
noun
A discussion, often heated, in which a difference of opinion is expressed:
altercation, argument, bicker, clash, contention, debate, difficulty, disagreement, dispute, fight, polemic, quarrel, run-in, spat, squabble, tiff, word (used in plural), wrangle. (Informal) hassle, rhubarb, tangle. See conflict
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