hot-button

American

[hot-buht-n] / ˈhɒtˈbʌt n /

adjective

exciting strong feelings; highly charged; emotional.

hot-button issues.

hot button British

noun

informal
1. a controversial subject or issue that is likely to arouse strong emotions
2. ( as modifier )
  
  the hot-button issue of abortion

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of hot-button

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

On the hot-button topic of the impact of artificial intelligence, he’s worried about it when combined with some troubling market mechanics.

From MarketWatch

Broken streetlights emerged as an hot-button issue in this year’s election, with council members scrambling to find ways to restore them.

From Los Angeles Times

Political discord and polarization in the U.S. means most brands will continue to avoid hot-button topics.

From The Wall Street Journal

And its success inspired other topical, complicated shows throughout the 1970s, from direct spinoffs like “The Jeffersons” to ABC’s blockbuster miniseries “Roots”— about multiple generations of a Black family enslaved in the pre-Civil War South—which likely wouldn’t have received approval if “All in the Family” wasn’t drawing in big audiences while talking about hot-button issues.

From The Wall Street Journal

That middle-of-the-road phrasing is a result of the rising perils of wading into hot-button issues in recent years.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023