contentious
adj.adj. causing a lot of disagreement or arguments. You use this to describe a topic or person that makes people take sides and fight.
adj. likely to cause disagreement or argument; controversial. Often describes a subject, issue, or person that provokes heated debate.
The new tax law is a very contentious issue.
The committee avoided the most contentious topics during the first meeting to ensure everyone felt comfortable working together.
The historian's latest book offers a highly contentious interpretation of the war, challenging established narratives and sparking fierce debate among his academic peers.
From Middle French contentieux, from Latin contentiōsus (“quarrelsome, perverse”), from contentiō (“contention”), from contendere, past participle contentus (“to contend”). Equivalent to English contention + -ous.
Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'become' or 'remain'.