dissident

adjective

dis·​si·​dent ˈdi-sə-dənt 

: disagreeing especially with an established religious or political system, organization, or belief

dissident elements in the armed forces

dissident noun

Synonyms

• dissentient
• dissenting
• heretical
• heretic
• heterodox
• iconoclastic
• maverick
• nonconformist
• nonorthodox
• out-there
• unconventional
• unorthodox

Examples of dissident in a Sentence

dissident elements within the Catholic Church

Recent Examples on the Web

In one case, operatives posing as art dealers interested in purchasing a work by a dissident artist secretly installed surveillance equipment in his workplace and a GPS tracker on his car. —David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025

He’d been allowed through the security checkpoint to attend a session given by a professor at the university, a Tunisian dissident and political exile, a specialist in the liberation movements of the Global South. —David Bezmozgis, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025

Rumors about an investigation against He first surfaced among the Chinese dissident community following China’s annual political meetings last month. —Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2025

In Poland, another dissident and political prisoner became president: Lech Wałęsa. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 1 Apr. 2025

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

Kids Definition

dissident

adjective

dis·​si·​dent ˈdis-əd-ənt 

: disagreeing with an opinion or a group

dissident noun