variants also dissention

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 Richt, Pruitt and those on that staff have never divulged specifics on the dissension among them. Seth Emerson, New York Times, 30 July 2025 The dissension in the City Council will only the make the process of agreeing on solutions to close the gap — potential new taxes, fees, service cuts or furloughs — politically tougher. A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2025 That decision, according to Bloomberg, caused dissension between Ferretti CEO Alberto Galassi and some members of the board. Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 9 June 2025 That political dissension was compounded by the country’s parlous economic situation; Pakistan came close to a debt default in 2023, at a time when crippling inflation reached 38 percent. Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 23 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for dissension
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissension
Noun
  • Disboard lists many public discord servers and many young coders use the site, contributing a different demographic of coders.
    Stephen Cass, IEEE Spectrum, 23 Sep. 2025
  • But warning signs of discord between networks and affiliates had been flashing for years.
    Dade Hayes, Deadline, 20 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The Palladinos departed after Season 6 due to contract disputes with WB, and David Rosenthal stepped in as showrunner and head writer.
    Anna Tingley, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
  • The dispute occurred during a hearing on a Republican bill to ban public funds for health care for undocumented immigrants.
    Jessie Opoien, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Tensions arise when a struggling, idealistic poet meets his girlfriend’s family at their idyllic, hillside countryside home in Hong Sang-soo’s latest feature — a quietly profound meditation on the complexities of filial love and familial strife.
    Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2025
  • The singer has been compared to the late Amy Winehouse, in part because both are British and have deep, soulful voices that sing about personal strife and conflict.
    Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • An even more crucial disagreement is over the party’s relationship to electoral politics.
    Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Other federal agencies have crafted similarly partisan messages from the typically apolitical civil service amid a legislative standoff largely over disagreements related to health care cuts.
    Joey Garrison, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Most notable was her dissent in June when the court stripped lower court judges of the power to impose nationwide court orders.
    Nina Totenberg, NPR, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Today’s playbook is similar to 1947 – label any dissent as unpatriotic, subversive, Marxist, and so on.
    Chris Yogerst, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
  • Robert also produced the film, which followed a group of Southern whiskey runners getting into chases and conflicts with federal agents.
    Andrew McGowan, Variety, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Netanyahu has come under increasing pressure from the international community and Trump to end the conflict.
    Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • What's Next Chinese research ship operations in neighboring maritime zones are likely to remain a source of controversy as the country continues to strengthen its posture in the region.
    Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
  • One quick line, in which an elderly woman recognizes Mark’s sport as one that was threatened with a legal ban, suggests both its controversy and its singularity, but the subject is dropped as casually as it’s mentioned.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dissension.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissension. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

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