The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 13 letter word CONTROVERSIAL
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
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More clues leading to the result CONTROVERSIAL
- Varies changes in government provoking dispute
- Disputed claim initially about balls bowled in test
- Party hearing about delivery groups likely to provoke argument
- Sensitive novel varies in power
- Dubious drifter follows nutcase into social work
- Voltaire should be treated with scorn? That’s disputable
- Angry converts rail about nothing being open to question
- Is Rev. a control freak? It’s debatable
- Distributing viler cartoons is disputable
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "likely to provoke argumen/t" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case likely to provoke argumen/t = controversial.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does CONTROVERSIAL mean?
CONTROVERSIAL adjective- Arousing controversy—a debate or discussion of opposing opinions.