1
as in discord
a lack of agreement or harmony
considerable dissent within the party's rank and file
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dissidence
departure from a generally accepted theory, opinion, or practice
the church reacted to any form of dissent by promptly excommunicating its proponents
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to disagree
to have a different opinion
anyone who dissented was encouraged to speak out while they had the chance
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dissent
Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Iran’s theocracy has struggled with growing dissent following nationwide protests over the economy that morphed into anti-government ones.
—Brian Melley, Austin American Statesman, 1 Mar. 2026
Hannah Parker, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas also dissented.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dissent
Noun
Trump whisperers in Washington appealed to his ego and his earlier declarations of support for Iranian dissent.
—Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Iran’s theocracy has struggled with growing dissent following nationwide protests over the economy that morphed into anti-government ones.
—Brian Melley, Austin American Statesman, 1 Mar. 2026
Verb
In its lengthy opinion Friday, the court did not offer clear next steps on refunds — something Justice Brett Kavanaugh did note in his dissenting opinion.
—Hannah Parker, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas also dissented.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dissent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissent
Noun
-
Not that there aren’t villains; indeed, as much as there is accord within the household, there is discord without.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Celebrate with an activity that allows for big release of energies, something athletic or competitive; a sedentary pleasure could lead to discord.—
Magi Helena,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Given that women in other countries do wear lipstick as an act of resistance today, suggesting that American feminists did so in 1912 conflates their wildly different cultural contexts, and blurs one’s sense of what constitutes public dissidence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The dissidence of Minneapolis reminds me of the Argentinian mothers who found themselves in an impossible situation during the military junta of the late 1970s.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The administration and Anthropic disagree on who controls AI usage in domestic security and battlefields.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Cramer disagrees with how the stock got crushed.—
Natasha Abellard,
CNBC,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Everyone’s hearts are closer to the surface than usual, so being tolerant of one another’s idiosyncrasies could be necessary to avoid strife.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The sweep of American history suggests the ideal of equality has staying power, even in periods of wrenching strife.—
Kenji Yoshino,
Time,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Any challenge to gun rights was immediate heresy, disqualifying in any measure.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
-
When something is so embedded in our routines, even a small shift can feel like heresy.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The concept grew quickly, and partnerships have helped remove friction points that keep people from showing up downtown.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
27 Feb. 2026
-
This is a wonderful idea in theory, but in reality, there is a lot of friction and slipping and sliding between the belt and the pulleys generating metal particles.—
Ed Sokalski,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Similarly, the emphasis on independence and nonconformity reflects what psychologists call autonomy orientation.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
The gender nonconformity of the protagonists—all thinly disguised versions of Lee—is often obvious but never explicitly mentioned.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The conflict also threatens to worsen Afghanistan’s already grave humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by Western aid cuts following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The first details of possible effects on Iran's nuclear program, the issue at the center of the escalating conflict, began to emerge.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dissent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissent. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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