controversy

Compared meaning: a disagreement or dispute about something (noun).

比较义项：因意见不合而产生的争论、争议（名词）。

• argument

  An angry, often personal disagreement between individuals, usually about something small; used with 'have an argument' and 'about'; typical of everyday speech about domestic or minor disputes.

  指个人之间因小事而产生的、通常带有情绪的争吵；常与“have an argument”及“about”连用；多见于日常口语中关于家庭或小事的争执。

  My roommate and I got into an argument over whose turn it was to cook dinner.

  我和室友因为该轮到谁做饭而吵了一架。

• controversy 本词

  A widespread public disagreement about an issue that divides opinion, involving many people rather than just two; used with 'cause/spark controversy' and 'among/over'; typical of news and public debate.

  指某一问题引发的、意见分裂的广泛公众争议，涉及许多人而不仅是两个人；常与“cause/spark controversy”及“among/over”连用；多见于新闻和公共讨论中。

  The government's new tax proposal sparked controversy across the whole country.

  政府的新税收提案在全国范围内引发了争议。

• contention

  The specific point or issue being disputed in a formal discussion or debate; more neutral and abstract than argument; common in the fixed phrase 'point of contention'.

  指正式讨论或辩论中被争执的具体问题或焦点，比 argument 更中性、更抽象；常用于“point of contention”这一固定短语中。

  The biggest point of contention in the meeting was the project's deadline.

  会议上争论最激烈的焦点是项目的截止日期。

These three words mean disagreement. Argument is an angry, personal dispute, often about small everyday matters. Controversy is a widespread public disagreement dividing many people, common in news. Contention is the specific point disputed in a formal debate, more neutral and written.

这三个词都表示“争论、争议”，但语域和使用场景不同：argument 指人与人之间因意见不合而发生的、通常带有情绪的争吵，多用于日常口语中的小事；controversy 指某个问题在公众中引发的广泛分歧，涉及很多人的不同意见，常见于新闻报道；contention 多指正式讨论或辩论中被争执的具体焦点，语气更中性、书面。这里不比较 argument 的“论据、论证”义，也不比较 contention 的“争夺、竞争”义。