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dis·sent | \ di-ˈsent 
\
\dissented; dissenting; dissents
Definition of dissent
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : to withhold assent or approval
2 : to differ in opinion
Three of the justices dissented from the majority opinion.
dissent
nounDefinition of dissent (Entry 2 of 2)
: difference of opinion
heard voices of dissent at the meeting : such as
a : religious nonconformity permitted no dissent from church teachings
b law : a justice's nonconcurrence with a decision of the majority
cited an earlier case in her dissent
— called also dissenting opinion
c : political opposition to a government or its policies
attempts to suppress domestic dissent
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Synonyms & Antonyms for dissent
Synonyms: Verb
Synonyms: Noun
- conflict,
- disaccord,
- discord,
- discordance,
- discordancy,
- disharmony,
- dissension
- (also dissention),
- dissidence,
- dissonance,
- disunion,
- disunity,
- division,
- friction,
- infighting,
- inharmony,
- schism,
- strife,
- variance,
- war,
- warfare
Antonyms: Verb
Antonyms: Noun
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Examples of dissent in a Sentence
Verb
The Supreme Court, with two justices dissenting, ruled that the law was constitutional.
anyone who dissented was encouraged to speak out while they had the chance Noun
Church leaders permitted no dissent from church teachings.
He did everything in his power to suppress political dissent.
These dissents come from prominent scientists and should not be ignored.
She argued in her dissent that Congress had exceeded its authority.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The two dissenting opinions and one concurring opinion revealed a wide gap between the judges.
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New York Times, "Appeals Court Allows Emoluments Suit Against Trump to Proceed," 14 May 2020 This applied not only to majority opinions (which are legally binding) but also to dissenting opinions and official summaries of court rulings.
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Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Supreme Court rules Georgia can’t put the law behind a paywall," 27 Apr. 2020 Modeling is not precise, and uses known data to project trends in disease spread, and there were dissenting opinions expressed to CNN about Longini's analysis.
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Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, "Coronavirus deaths in the US could reach peak in three weeks, epidemiologist says," 25 Mar. 2020 Justice Stephen Breyer wrote the dissenting opinion for himself and Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
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Zachary Halaschak, Washington Examiner, "Elena Kagan sides with conservative Supreme Court justices to rule states can bar insanity defense," 23 Mar. 2020 In Cairo, Mada Masr is a lone dissenting voice challenging the pro-regime media chorus that at first downplayed the virus and now only praises the government’s response.
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Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, "Facing down jail and wealthy foes, Arab rights defenders soldier on," 12 May 2020 Judge Alice Batchelder wrote the appellate court’s opinion and was joined by Judge Danny Boggs, while Judge Bernice Donald dissented, saying the language of the legal standards was ambiguous.
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Robin Goist, cleveland, "Federal appeals court reinstates Akron man’s conviction for selling fentanyl that caused woman’s overdose death," 8 May 2020 Four of five justices — Justice Craig Stowers dissenting — said the judiciary veto and mistaken veto were also legal reasons for a veto.
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James Brooks, Anchorage Daily News, "Gov. Dunleavy recall effort can proceed, Alaska Supreme Court rules," 8 May 2020 The ruling was issued by a three-judge panel of the Sixth Circuit, with one judge, Eric E. Murphy, dissenting.
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New York Times, "Detroit Students Have a Constitutional Right to Literacy, Court Rules," 27 Apr. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Justice Clarance Thomas, in a dissent, wrote that the Louisiana clinic didn’t have standing.
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Sabrina Eaton, cleveland, "U.S. Supreme Court strikes down Louisiana abortion law, similar to Ohio’s, requiring doctors to have agreements with nearby hospitals," 29 June 2020 President Donald Trump’s two appointees, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, were in dissent, along with Justice Samuel Alito.
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Mark Sherman, Houston Chronicle, "Supreme Court strikes down Louisiana abortion clinic law," 29 June 2020 President Donald Trump’s two appointees, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, were in dissent, along with Justice Samuel Alito.
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Mark Sherman, Anchorage Daily News, "Supreme Court strikes down Louisiana abortion clinic law," 29 June 2020 Justice Samuel Alito was in dissent along with President Donald Trump’s two appointees, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
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al, "Supreme Court rules Louisiana law regulating abortion clinics unconstitutional," 29 June 2020 President Donald Trump’s two appointees, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, were in dissent, along with Justice Samuel Alito.
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Dallas News, "Supreme Court strikes down Louisiana abortion clinic law," 29 June 2020 In rare instances, an opinion originally circulated as a dissent becomes the majority.
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Mark Sherman, Fortune, "Simple math suggests a complex backstory behind landmark LGBT rights Supreme Court decision," 20 June 2020 The ruling was 5-4, with the court's four liberal justices agreeing and the four more conservative justices in dissent on the main thrust of Roberts' ruling, USA Today reported.
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Natalia E. Contreras, The Indianapolis Star, "DACA Supreme Court ruling a relief for supporters, but it's far from a permanent solution," 20 June 2020 Justice Kavanaugh wrote a dissent admonishing the majority for legislating from the bench.
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The Economist, "LGBT rights America’s Supreme Court protects LGBT workers against discrimination," 18 June 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dissent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for dissent
dissent
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of dissent
(Entry 1 of 2)
formal : to publicly disagree with an official opinion, decision, or set of beliefs
dissent
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of dissent (Entry 2 of 2)
formal : public disagreement with an official opinion, decision, or set of beliefs
US, law : a statement by a judge giving reasons why the judge does not agree with the decision made by the other judges in a court case
See the full definition for dissent in the English Language Learners Dictionary
dissent
verbdis·sent | \ di-ˈsent \
\dissented; dissenting
Kids Definition of dissent
(Entry 1 of 2)
: disagree sense 1 Mom suggested eating out, but Dad dissented.
dissent
nounKids Definition of dissent (Entry 2 of 2)
: difference of opinion
The class voted without dissent for a field trip.
dissent
intransitive verbdis·sent | \ di-ˈsent \
\Legal Definition of dissent
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : to withhold assent or approval
unfair squeezeout transactions—the kind to which public shareholders seem most likely to dissent— R. C. Clark — see also appraisal
Note: A shareholder who dissents from a proposed transaction may demand that the corporation buy his or her shares after an appraisal.
2 : to differ in opinion especially : to disagree with a majority opinion three of the justices dissented — compare concur
dissent
nounLegal Definition of dissent (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : difference of opinion especially : a judge's disagreement with the decision of the majority
2 : dissenting opinion at opinion
3 : the judge or group of judges that dissent — compare majority
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Time Traveler for dissent
The first known use of dissent was in the 15th century
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