as in contentious
relating to or causing the expression of opposing opinions
the new plan raises a number of hot-button issues that are sure to get voters riled up
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as in third rail
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Examples of hot-button in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2024
Those restrictions opened up space for political action committees (PACs), which could rake in big money from small-dollar donors motivated to give by sensationalist direct mail focused on hot button cultural issues.
—Daniel Schlozman & Sam Rosenfeld / Made By History, TIME, 10 June 2024
That was then, though, a time before immigration policy became a political hot button, subject to loud debates but little practical action to fix the citizenship process, which one immigration expert says is restrictive and complicated.
—Maya Lora, Baltimore Sun, 6 Apr. 2024
In Kentucky, transgender identities became a hot button issue in the governor's rare: Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear bested Republican Kelly Craft in the deep red state.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hot-button 
Noun
The 14-time Grammy winner’s air travel have been a hot button issue as of late.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2024
Those restrictions opened up space for political action committees (PACs), which could rake in big money from small-dollar donors motivated to give by sensationalist direct mail focused on hot button cultural issues.
—Daniel Schlozman & Sam Rosenfeld / Made By History, TIME, 10 June 2024
That was then, though, a time before immigration policy became a political hot button, subject to loud debates but little practical action to fix the citizenship process, which one immigration expert says is restrictive and complicated.
—Maya Lora, Baltimore Sun, 6 Apr. 2024
In Kentucky, transgender identities became a hot button issue in the governor's rare: Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear bested Republican Kelly Craft in the deep red state.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hot-button
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hot-button.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Hot-button.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hot-button. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
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