as in debate
variance of opinion on a matter
a democracy relies on dissensus as much as on consensus
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Recent Examples of dissensus
These dramas of politics — each involving the high court’s first black justice — arrive at a singularly contentious political moment in an atmosphere of angry, sometimes violent dissensus.
—
Manohla Dargis and A.o. Scott, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2017
Manohla Dargis and A.o. Scott, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissensus
Noun
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Housing policy debates fixate on supply without acknowledging the strain placed on families who spend hours each day on the road.—
Christopher Bellingham,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
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While there is considerable debate over Another Planet funding the rehab and ushering in the venue’s new role as a music house, what’s not in dispute is the impact the renovation on the building itself.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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Jake is a single father who has brought Kristen up in the severe Calvinist tradition, marked by Bible disputations of Talmudic intricacy and by a radical detachment from secular and popular culture.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2023
Noun
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Officers learned that a group known to each other got into an altercation resulting from an ongoing dispute, the police said.—
Jack Perry,
The Providence Journal,
7 Feb. 2026
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At least five competing proposals have emerged from major coalitions, several of which have fractured in recent days as internal disputes deepened.—
JACQUELINE CHARLES MIAMI HERALD,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Independent reported that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who is also facing Epstein connected controversy over the appointment and subsequent firing of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States, attended the reception.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
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But the controversy surrounding the event with halftime performer Bad Bunny likely stoked additional interest.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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For teens especially, emotional growth depends on navigating real relationships, including discomfort and disagreement.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
7 Feb. 2026
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Anthropic’s founders are former OpenAI employees who left over disagreements about the ChatGPT maker’s direction, approach to safety and pace of AI development.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dissensus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissensus. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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