as in dissidents
a person who believes, teaches, or advocates something opposed to accepted beliefs
a society that prized conformity very highly and treated dissenters of any kind very harshly
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Recent Examples of dissenters
Examples include dissenters citing anti-war sentiments or disapproval of the government’s handling of the Epstein files.
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Maximilian Brichta, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2026
Others have been prosecuted under a counterterrorism law that carries a potential death penalty and has been used to target political and armed opponents, journalists and other dissenters.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Serious or not, secession — or independence, as some prefer to call it — has long been the dream of dissenters, of the discontented and those who feel put upon or politically unrepresented.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2026
Serious or not, secession — or independence, as some prefer to call it — has long been the dream of dissenters, of the discontented and those who feel put upon or politically unrepresented.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
But in the shadows, amid growing unease at the bloodthirsty actions of the realm’s merciless Mad King, dissenters from his inner circle anxiously advance a treasonous plot.
—Ryan Brennan
april 3, Charlotte Observer, 3 Apr. 2026
But in an autocracy with a leader who is quick to promote allies and punish dissenters, officials have far more reason to implement Xi’s policy preferences than to challenge them.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2026
The dissenters argued that the Constitution did not require states to provide free public education to undocumented children and that the issue should be left to Congress or the states.
—Jenni Fink, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
When a 19-year-old wrestler and two other men were hanged in the holy city of Qom on Thursday, Iran’s theocratic regime was sending a message to both dissenters inside the country and opponents abroad, analysts say.
—Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
Maximilian Brichta, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2026
Others have been prosecuted under a counterterrorism law that carries a potential death penalty and has been used to target political and armed opponents, journalists and other dissenters.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Serious or not, secession — or independence, as some prefer to call it — has long been the dream of dissenters, of the discontented and those who feel put upon or politically unrepresented.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2026
Serious or not, secession — or independence, as some prefer to call it — has long been the dream of dissenters, of the discontented and those who feel put upon or politically unrepresented.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
But in the shadows, amid growing unease at the bloodthirsty actions of the realm’s merciless Mad King, dissenters from his inner circle anxiously advance a treasonous plot.
—Ryan Brennan
april 3, Charlotte Observer, 3 Apr. 2026
But in an autocracy with a leader who is quick to promote allies and punish dissenters, officials have far more reason to implement Xi’s policy preferences than to challenge them.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2026
The dissenters argued that the Constitution did not require states to provide free public education to undocumented children and that the issue should be left to Congress or the states.
—Jenni Fink, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
When a 19-year-old wrestler and two other men were hanged in the holy city of Qom on Thursday, Iran’s theocratic regime was sending a message to both dissenters inside the country and opponents abroad, analysts say.
—Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissenters
dissidents
Noun
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Nabavi has spent more than a decade in prison for his activism and is one of many dissidents who believe the war will not bring about positive outcomes for Iranians.—
Somayeh Malekian,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
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Iran’s government also has a long history of targeting dissidents abroad.—
Adam Geller,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dissenters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissenters. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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