Disagreeing 
Disagreeing 
1. To disagree with someone or with an opinion

disagree / not agree verb [intransitive]:

 Scholars continue to disagree about the meaning behind the poem.
 Although he did not agree with Plato, he was profoundly influenced by him.
 Scientists disagree among themselves on what causes the disease. 
 I strongly disagree with his views on immigration. (=I disagree with them very much)

take issue  with  a formal phrase meaning to  strongly disagree with what  someone
has said:
 I feel that I must take issue with the article's conclusion.
 Some people have	taken issue with  Conrad's  description of  the Congo in his novel
'The Heart of Darkness'.

dispute verb [transitive] to say that you think that something is not correct or not true:

 Researchers have disputed her claims.
 No one disputes that the problem exists. 

differ verb [intransitive] if people differ about something, they have a range of different
opinions  about it.  If  opinions, views, or	tastes differ, people have  different opinions,
views, or tastes:
 Critics differed sharply on the merits of his work. (=they had very different opinions)
 Opinions differ about the proper relationship between the mass media and society.

be divided  / split adjective  if  a group of people is	divided  or split  on  something,
some of them have one opinion and others have a completely different opinion:
 America's doctors remain deeply divided on the issue of whether it should be legal for 
a physician to help a terminally ill patient commit suicide.
 Scientists	were split on  the uses to  which the discoveries of  atomic physics were 
being put.


be mistaken adjective used to say that you disagree with someone or with an opinion
that they have, and think that they are wrong:
 He is mistaken if he believes that the United States will not respond to this threat.
 Such a view is, however, seriously mistaken. 



2. When people disagree about something

disagreement	noun  [uncountable  and countable] if  there is	disagreement  about 
something, people do not agree about it:
 There is  considerable	disagreement among  experts  about  the usefulness  of these
tests.
 She found herself in disagreement with her colleagues on the issue. (=she found that
she disagreed with them about it)

dispute	noun  [uncountable and countable]  a  serious disagreement,  in which two 
people, organizations, or countries publicly disagree and argue with each other:
 He became involved in a long legal dispute with his publisher.
 There is considerable dispute over the precise definition of this term.
 The United Nations is trying to settle the bitter and long-running dispute between the
two countries. 

controversy noun [uncountable and countable] serious disagreement, especially with 
people expressing strongly opposing views in newspapers, in books, on television etc:
 There has been a lot of controversy over abortion in the US. 
 Alice Walker writes about the controversy surrounding the film version of her novel,
'The Color Purple'.
 There is some controversy among biologists about whether this is actually true.



3. Causing disagreement

contentious adjective a formal word used to describe statements and situations that 
cause a lot of disagreement and argument:
 Water has been a contentious issue between Turkey and its neighbours for years.
 One particularly contentious area in the field of health and safety is the valuation of
human life itself.

controversial adjective  causing  a lot of disagreement  among people, with strongly 
opposing opinions being expressed in newspapers, in books, on television etc:
 The use of genetic tests is a controversial issue.
 The judge's decision was highly controversial at the time. 
 Oliver Cromwell remains a somewhat controversial historical figure.

divisive adjective causing arguments between people and making them form into two
opposing groups:
 The war was extremely divisive.
 Same-sex marriage remains a divisive issue in many parts of the US. 
