dissident

adjective

dis·​si·​dent ˈdi-sə-dənt How to pronounce dissident (audio)
: disagreeing especially with an established religious or political system, organization, or belief
dissident elements in the armed forces
dissident noun

Examples of dissident in a Sentence

dissident elements within the Catholic Church
Recent Examples on the Web That month, Iran executed another Swedish-Iranian, the dissident Habib Chaab, who had been living in Sweden for more than a decade and was abducted during a visit to Turkey in 2020 and smuggled to Iran. Matina Stevis-Gridneff, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2023 Strikes spiked in July, as workers seek higher wages to keep up with inflation Fain came to the election this year as a dissident candidate. Lauren Kaori Gurley, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2023 The Good Friday Agreement, signed in 1998, largely ended three decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, but police officers can still be targeted by dissident groups. Karla Adam, Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2023 For the New York Times, Alex Williams has written an obit of Ales Pushkin, a dissident artist, who has died in prison at 57. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 28 July 2023 But the tensions between Albania and Iran over the cyberattack have also put pressure on the dissident community residing within Albanian borders. Caitlin McFall, Fox News, 20 June 2023 A number of dissident Iranian filmmakers and talent have been jailed over the last six months, notably Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof who was recently released from prison. Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 25 May 2023 Violence broke out after police raids on dissident republican homes and young people – born after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement – threw petrol bombs, burning two vehicles. Caolán Magee, CNN, 6 Apr. 2023 The long travel ban against dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi, in place for the past 14 years, has apparently been lifted. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dissident.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin dissident-, dissidens, present participle of dissidēre to sit apart, disagree, from dis- + sedēre to sit — more at sit

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dissident was in 1769

Dictionary Entries Near dissident

Cite this Entry

“Dissident.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dissident. Accessed 21 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

dissident

adjective
dis·​si·​dent ˈdis-əd-ənt How to pronounce dissident (audio)
: disagreeing with an opinion or a group
dissident noun

More from Merriam-Webster on dissident

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