dissent

noun

: difference of opinion

heard voices of dissent at the meeting

: such as

a

: religious nonconformity

permitted no dissent from church teachings

b

: a judge's or justice's nonconcurrence with a decision of the majority

especially : a separate opinion by a judge or justice that differs from the decision of the court

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

Synonyms of dissent

• discord
• strife
• friction
• conflict
• war
• discordance
• schism
• discordancy
• warfare

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 on the Web

In May there were 1,311 protests, complaints and expressions of dissent in Cuba, according to a report from the Observatorio Cubano de Conflictos, part of the Human Rights Foundation in Cuba. —Sarah Moreno june 5, Miami Herald, 6 June 2026

Some protest movements have faced legal action against organizers and activist arrests, which critics say reflects a broader effort under Modi to suppress dissent. —ABC News, 5 June 2026

What drags the installment down, however, is the sheer predictability and lack of dissent, with seven out of the nine votes being unanimous — a foreshadowing of seasons to come. —Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 4 June 2026

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a dissent that was joined by her fellow liberal justices, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. —Dan Mangan, CNBC, 3 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dissent

• accent
• advent
• ascent
• assent
• augment
• cement
• consent
• dement
• descent
• detent
• event
• extent

Kids Definition

dissent

1 of 2 verb

dis·​sent dis-ˈent 

: to differ in opinion : disagree

dissent

2 of 2 noun

: difference of opinion

Legal Definition

dissent

1 of 2 intransitive verb

dis·​sent di-ˈsent 

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

2 of 2 noun

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