disputed

[ dih-spyoo-tid ]

adjective

1. argued or debated about:

   Just when and where the religious practice of the “camp meeting” originated is a disputed question.

2. argued against; called into question:

   He stood by his widely disputed claim that margarine is better for you than butter.

3. quarreled or fought over; contested:

   As negotiations continue, the security situation in the disputed territories is tense and shows signs of escalating.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of dispute.

Other Words From

• un·dis·put·ed adjective
• un·dis·put·ed·ly adverb
• well-dis·put·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of disputed¹

First recorded in 1605–15; dispute ( def ) + -ed ²( def ) for the adjective senses; dispute ( def ) + -ed ¹( def ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

However, the judge disputed several of the claims made by the defence teams and rejected their calls for suspended sentences.

From BBC

This chain of events is not disputed by other figures in government.

From BBC

A five-judge bench, which included Justice Chandrachud, ruled in 2019 that the demolition was illegal, but still gave the disputed land to Hindus and a separate site for the mosque to be built.

From BBC

Jameel Jaffer, the founding director of the Knight First Amendment Institute, for instance, disputed Cole’s claims, citing the Obama administration’s continued reliance on illegal and extralegal policies that Bush’s aggressive actions had already put in play — among them warrantless wiretapping, indefinite detention and the military commissions to try prisoners at Guantánamo.

From Salon

That figure is disputed by historians, however.

From BBC

Related Words

• debatable
• moot
• unchallenged
• undecided
• undetermined
• unnoticed
• unsettled