dissent
verb
\
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
accord, agreement, concord, concordance, harmony, peace
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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 chanceNoun
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.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
As a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, Kavanaugh issued the dissenting opinion in a 2011 case finding the ACA constitutional. — Colby Itkowitz, Washington Post, "The Health 202: Kavanaugh may not completely gut Obamacare if he makes it to the Supreme Court," 11 July 2018 Graeff dissented with the court’s opinion issued Thursday. — Justin Fenton, baltimoresun.com, "Maryland's second highest court upholds decision overturning Adnan Syed’s murder conviction," 29 Mar. 2018 As Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in his dissenting opinion, items like deodorant with antiperspirant are taxed in Texas at a rate of 6.25 percent, while deodorant without antiperspirant is not taxed at all. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "Supreme Court’s internet sales tax ruling may be a nightmare for small businesses," 22 June 2018 Justice Stephen Breyer penned an 18-page dissent for the liberal wing of the court, marking the sixth time this term liberals have dissented as a bloc. — Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "U.S. Supreme Court ruling means Wisconsin can continue purging its voter rolls every 4 years," 11 June 2018 On top of that, Erica Sackin, director of political communications for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, pointed out on Twitter that Kavanaugh praised the dissenting opinion in Roe v. Wade in a 2017 lecture. — Mckenzie Schwark, Teen Vogue, "Abortion-Rights Hashtag Signals Opposition to Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court Nomination," 10 July 2018 The dissenting judge said that's just a crazy interpretation of the law. — Doug Criss, CNN, "5 things for June 7: Justice Department, Alice Johnson, China, immigration, airfare," 7 June 2018 The applicants were approved, mostly on 4-1 votes, with Bailey dissenting. — Kathleen Gray, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan awards first medical marijuana licenses," 12 July 2018 But dissenting justices said Yelp could be held complicit in Bird’s refusal to remove her posting. — Bob Egelko, SFChronicle.com, "Yelp does not have to remove users’ posts, California Supreme Court says," 2 July 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
In an extraordinary show of dissent, employees of Google, Microsoft, Amazon.com, and Salesforce.com have demanded their companies refuse to do business with police departments, immigration authorities, or the US military. — Hiawatha Bray, BostonGlobe.com, "Tech community wrestles over working with government," 13 July 2018 The Internet age, however, has added a new dimension of dissent. — Rick Noack, Washington Post, "Iranian women are posting videos of themselves dancing in support of arrested Instagram star," 9 July 2018 Tom Davis, a Virginia Republican who spent 13 years in Congress, said Washington has always been a hotbed of dissent. — Paul Schwartzman And Josh Dawsey, chicagotribune.com, "'It's burning people out': Trump aides endure public fury toward president's policies around D.C.," 9 July 2018 Tom Davis, a Virginia Republican who spent 13 years in Congress, said Washington has always been a hotbed of dissent. — Author: Paul Schwartzman, Josh Dawsey, Anchorage Daily News, "'Viciousness': Trump aides endure public fury toward president's policies," 9 July 2018 So there was a musical world, and also a world of dissent? — Dan Deluca, Philly.com, "Ry Cooder, one of the great guitarists of all time, will give his first Philadelphia performance in decades," 29 June 2018 Kadyrov, leader of Chechnya since 2004, has stifled any form of dissent, subduing the separatist movement that fought the Russian army for nearly two decades. — James Masters, CNN, "Mohamed Salah and the hope of 100 million Egyptians: 'I don't feel the pressure'," 14 June 2018 In that way, the church has walked back even its recent pseudo-tolerance of public dissent. — Sarah Scoles, Longreads, "Meet the New Mormons," 8 June 2018 The message behind the crackdown, which has come despite scant evidence of public dissent, is that the crown prince alone intends to dictate the pace and scope of change in Saudi Arabia, critics say. — Summer Said, WSJ, "Saudi Arabian Arrest Wave Shows Crown Prince’s Bid to Control Change," 5 June 2018These 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
verb
English Language Learners Definition of dissent
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to publicly disagree with an official opinion, decision, or set of beliefs
dissent
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of dissent (Entry 2 of 2)
: public disagreement with an official opinion, decision, or set of beliefs
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
verb
\
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 verb
\
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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