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 of dissident

• dissenting
• unconventional
• maverick
• nonconformist
• iconoclastic
• heretical
• out-there
• separatist

Examples of dissident in a Sentence

dissident elements within the Catholic Church

Recent Examples on the Web

Pras was also accused of using this money to create a back-channel campaign to extradite the Chinese dissident Guo Wengui back to China from the United States. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Nov. 2025

That individual, dissident Miles Guo, was charged in New York in a billion-dollar fraud case and is still in custody. —CBS News, 20 Nov. 2025

The recipient was the dissident theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who had been imprisoned several months earlier, on account of his opposition to the Nazi regime. —Alex Ross, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025

Among them were 17 members of the Iranian dissident organization Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK). —Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 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