DISSENSION Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'dissension' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of dissension are conflict , contention , discord , strife , and variance . While all these words mean "a state or condition marked by a lack of agreement or harmony," dissension implies strife or discord and stresses a division into factions. // religious dissension threatened to split the colony

Q: Where would 'conflict' be a reasonable alternative to 'dissension'?

The words conflict and dissension are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, conflict usually stresses the action of forces in opposition but in static applications implies an irreconcilability as of duties or desires. // the conflict of freedom and responsibility

Q: When is 'contention' a more appropriate choice than 'dissension'?

The synonyms contention and dissension are sometimes interchangeable, but contention applies to strife or competition that shows itself in quarreling, disputing, or controversy. // several points of contention about the new zoning law

Q: When might 'discord' be a better fit than 'dissension'?

The words discord and dissension can be used in similar contexts, but discord implies an intrinsic or essential lack of harmony producing quarreling, factiousness, or antagonism. // a political party long racked by discord

Q: When is it sensible to use 'strife' instead of 'dissension'?

Although the words strife and dissension have much in common, strife emphasizes a struggle for superiority rather than the incongruity or incompatibility of the persons or things involved. // during his brief reign the empire was never free of civil strife

Q: When could 'variance' be used to replace 'dissension'?

The meanings of variance and dissension largely overlap; however, variance implies a clash between persons or things owing to a difference in nature, opinion, or interest. // cultural variances that work against a national identity

dissension

noun

di-ˈsen(t)-shən

variants also dissention

Definition of dissension

as in discord

a lack of agreement or harmony religious dissension threatened to split the colony

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in controversy

variance of opinion on a matter continued dissension among historians on the exact spot of Columbus's first landing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun dissension contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of dissension are conflict, contention, discord, strife, and variance. While all these words mean "a state or condition marked by a lack of agreement or harmony," dissension implies strife or discord and stresses a division into factions.

religious dissension threatened to split the colony

Where would conflict be a reasonable alternative to dissension?

The words conflict and dissension are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, conflict usually stresses the action of forces in opposition but in static applications implies an irreconcilability as of duties or desires.

the conflict of freedom and responsibility

When is contention a more appropriate choice than dissension?

The synonyms contention and dissension are sometimes interchangeable, but contention applies to strife or competition that shows itself in quarreling, disputing, or controversy.

several points of contention about the new zoning law

When might discord be a better fit than dissension?

The words discord and dissension can be used in similar contexts, but discord implies an intrinsic or essential lack of harmony producing quarreling, factiousness, or antagonism.

a political party long racked by discord

When is it sensible to use strife instead of dissension?

Although the words strife and dissension have much in common, strife emphasizes a struggle for superiority rather than the incongruity or incompatibility of the persons or things involved.

during his brief reign the empire was never free of civil strife

When could variance be used to replace dissension?

The meanings of variance and dissension largely overlap; however, variance implies a clash between persons or things owing to a difference in nature, opinion, or interest.

cultural variances that work against a national identity

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dissension There is fierce dissension about whether this is even worth it. — Chris Branch, New York Times, 21 May 2026 With so much open dissension, no one knew who was really running the company. — Geoffrey Cain, Vanity Fair, 11 May 2026 This would be a good way to sow dissension among your employees. — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 4 May 2026 The dissension over Valley Link reflects a larger debate over how the Bay Area should grow. — Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dissension

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissension

Noun

The discord meant the program spent much of the summer hiring replacement correspondents, including Ross Douthat, a conservative New York Times opinion writer with no experience as a TV journalist.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Party discord has also been a problem as leaders like Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego, have developed their own fundraising and organizing infrastructure to harness political support independent of the state party.

— Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of discord

Noun

Nacua checked himself into a private facility in April after a series of off-the-field controversies.

— Jayna Bardahl, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
The brothers, who are YouTube stars with various experience in boxing and wrestling, as well as courting controversy, have landed a fight competition series at Hulu and ESPN.

— Peter White, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of controversy

Noun

At its heart are two families on different sides of a financial divide who intersect when Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong), a documentary filmmaker married to a wealthy heir, Sang-woo (Zo In-sung), attempts to make a film about labor strife.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026
This sport is rooted in traditions that span generations and have endured through two world wars, economic booms, depressions and social strife.

— David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of strife

Noun

Reputation work can involve sensitive information about executives, companies and disputes.

— Scott Keever, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Insanity defendants are disproportionately low-income, their cases rarely reach a jury, and there’s usually no dispute about the diagnosis, which is almost invariably schizophrenia.

— Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of dispute

Noun

For Ferrari to have tripped up so spectacularly at Monza of all races only added to the friction.

— Luke Smith, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
The engine protectant does not change the oil viscosity, which is a good thing, and it is designed to reduce friction.

— John Paul, The Providence Journal, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of friction

Noun

This did not, however, mark the end of disputation concerning the Northwest Angle.

— Scott Spires, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
According to him, advances in machine learning have yanked questions once trapped inside theological/philosophical disputations into corporate board packs.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2025

Definition of disputation

Noun

Although the war in Europe and the Pacific dominates debates about Allied misconduct, the colonial character of World War II may tell us more about the origins of our present moment.

— Faisal Devji, Time, 11 Sep. 2026
And yet somehow their killing was subject to endless newsroom debates about language and standards.

— Ayman M. Mohyeldin, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of debate

Browse Nearby Words

disseminations

dissension

dissensions

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Dissension.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissension. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of dissension

noun

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

watershed

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes