dissent

verb dis·sent \ di-ˈsent \

|Updated on: 19 Jun 2018

Examples: dissent in a Sentence

Definition of dissent

intransitive verb

1 : to withhold assent or approval

2 : to differ in opinion

Three of the justices dissented from the majority opinion.

See dissent defined for English-language learners

See dissent defined for kids

Examples of dissent in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of dissent from the Web

Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer dissented, saying Minnesota's highest court should have an opportunity to weigh in first.

— richard wolf, USA TODAY, "Supreme Court strikes down political dress code at polls," 14 June 2018
Leone, a dissenting voice on council, seeks a sixth term.

— azcentral, "Election 2018: Here's who wants to run your Valley city," 1 June 2018
The nine justices were hardly in agreement, as two of them dissented in full and another in part.

— michael mccann, SI.com, "Why New Jersey Won Its Supreme Court Battle to Legalize Sports Betting," 14 May 2018
Justices Daniel Kelly and Ann Bradley each dissented, and each joined each other's dissent, along with Justice Shirley Abrahamson.

— bruce vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "High court divides sharply on insurance coverage issue," 11 May 2018
But now there’s one thing a federal judge says Trump can’t do: Block users because of dissenting political opinions.

— Washington Post, "Why a judge says @realDonaldTrump can’t block opponents," 27 May 2018
The painting shows a farmer, dressed in a humble jacket and open-necked shirt, dissenting from the opinions of those around him, including two men in ties.

— j.s. marcus, WSJ, "In New York, Rockwell’s Vision of FDR’s ‘Freedoms’," 12 May 2018
Whether the briefly dissenting senator possessed any turquoise balloons is not clear.

— The Economist, "Kazakhstan’s government squelches the least hint of dissent," 26 Apr. 2018
There are dissenting opinions, if not necessarily raves.

— james hebert, sandiegouniontribune.com, "New York critics not having a (disco) ball at Broadway premiere of La Jolla Playhouse-bred Donna Summer musical," 24 Apr. 2018

These 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.

Origin and Etymology of dissent

Middle English, from Latin dissentire, from dis- + sentire to feel — more at sense

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

dissent Synonyms

Phrases

take issue;

dissent

noun

Definition of dissent

: 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

See dissent defined for English-language learners

Examples of dissent in a Sentence

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 of dissent from the Web

Music in the past was much more free, where music today is much more cookie-cutter and less vocal in its dissent.

— ed masley, azcentral, "Ziggy Marley talks 'Rebellion Rises' and the 'little spark' that will become a 'raging fire'," 13 June 2018
But commentators in Tehran said the regime could all too easily use America’s hostility as an excuse to come down hard on dissent, which is rising as a result of the country’s economic doldrums and plummeting currency.

— The Economist, "Tension surges across the Middle East as America turns tougher on Iran," 10 May 2018
But the Democratic-Republicans press, which could now be sent to jail for voicing its dissent, pointed out (often colorfully) that finding a differentiation between political opinion and fact was impossible.

— jackie mansky, Smithsonian, "The Age-Old Problem of “Fake News”," 7 May 2018
For the most part, people reacted similarly on Twitter, although plenty of traditionalists chimed in with their dissent.

— meghan overdeep, Southern Living, "National Debate Sparked After Mom-to-Be Receives Gift Of “No Thank You Notes”," 30 Apr. 2018
Council passed the resolution, without dissent, on its first reading.

— jeff piorkowski/special to cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Mayfield Heights Council paves way for another assited living facility, at Cedar and Lander roads," 24 Apr. 2018
In their dissent in the May 2017 ruling, the judges said the lower-court mandate to protect habitat for fish is overly broad and could be extended to block all kinds of other development, including dams.

— lynda v. mapes, The Seattle Times, "Supreme Court showdown: Washington’s attorney general vs. tribes over salmon habitat," 18 Apr. 2018
The shareholders expressed their dissent on the same day that France’s Klepierre SA abandoned its own 5 billion-pound bid for Hammerson, sending Hammerson’s shares down 9 percent in London trading Friday.

— Bloomberg.com, "Three Hammerson Shareholders Express Dissent on Intu Purchase," 13 Apr. 2018
In unanimous dissent, the clubs disaffiliated from the College.

— nathaniel brooks horwitz, Town & Country, "Why I Refused to Join One of Harvard's All-Male Final Clubs," 31 Aug. 2016

Origin and Etymology of dissent

see ¹dissent

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1585

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

dissent Synonyms

Synonyms

conflict, disaccord, discord, discordance, discordancy, disharmony, dissension (also dissention), dissidence, dissonance, disunion, disunity, division, friction, infighting, inharmony, schism, strife, variance, war, warfare;

Antonyms

accord, agreement, concord, concordance, harmony, peace;

Near Antonyms

concurrence, cooperation;

altercation, argument, bicker, brawl, debate, disagreement, dispute, divide, fissure;

falling-out, fight, hassle, jar, miff, mix-up, quarrel, row, run-in, scrap, spat, squabble, tiff, wrangle;

incompatibility, incongruence, incongruity, incongruousness, inconsistence, inconsistency, inconsonance, inharmoniousness;

animosity, antagonism, antipathy, cold war, enmity, hostility, ill will, rancor;

DISSENT Defined for English Language Learners

dissent

verb

Definition of dissent for English Language Learners

: to publicly disagree with an official opinion, decision, or set of beliefs

dissent

noun

Definition of dissent for English Language Learners

: 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

DISSENT Defined for Kids

dissent

verb dis·sent \ di-ˈsent \

Definition of dissent for Students

dissented; dissenting

: disagree 1

Mom suggested eating out, but Dad dissented.

—

dissenter

noun

dissent

noun

Definition of dissent for Students

: difference of opinion

The class voted without dissent for a field trip.

Law Dictionary

dissent

intransitive verb dis·sent \ di-ˈsent \

legal Definition of dissent

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

—

dissenter

noun

dissent

noun

legal Definition of dissent

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

Learn More about dissent

See words that rhyme with dissent Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dissent Spanish Central: Translation of dissent Nglish: Translation of dissent for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of dissent for Arabic speakers

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dissent

Definition of dissent

Examples of dissent in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of dissent

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dissent

Definition of dissent

Examples of dissent in a Sentence

Recent Examples of dissent from the Web

Origin and Etymology of dissent

dissent Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

DISSENT Defined for English Language Learners

dissent

Definition of dissent for English Language Learners

dissent

Definition of dissent for English Language Learners

DISSENT Defined for Kids

dissent

Definition of dissent for Students

dissenter

dissent

Definition of dissent for Students

Law Dictionary

dissent

legal Definition of dissent

dissenter

dissent

legal Definition of dissent

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