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 Obviously, discussing whether a polo shirt can be worn with a tie elicits far less dissension than ethical matters, but in both cases readers are primarily interested in entertainment, not advice. The New Yorker, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025 Carney has committed to a major expansion of the Canadian energy sector after almost a decade of dissension between energy producers and Ottawa. David Frum, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2025 The result was the biggest dissension among Fed governors since late 1993. Jenni Reid, CNBC, 31 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 See All Example Sentences for dissension
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissension
Noun
  • And then, playing cleverly on their natural discord, River and Shirley argue their way through a standoff with Farouk just long enough for Coe to take advantage of the distraction and plunge a blade in Farouk’s neck.
    Scott Tobias, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
  • China, for its part, has also stoked the flames of discord in recent weeks, first by announcing new global export controls on rare earth minerals, key components in technologies and weaponry.
    Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The controversy that blew open a typically staid attorney general race stemmed from 2022 messages Jones sent to Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner.
    Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • But the mall’s boss has looked to exploit the controversy.
    Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Much of this strife, including throughout the 1967-1970 civil war and subsequent clashes over the decades, has also been closely tied to feuds across ethnic and territorial lines.
    Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Things kick off with a bit of inter-family strife, involving a young predator named Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi).
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Diplomacy is critical to resolve disputes such as the Helmand River conflict, while the government must manage human and economic effects—such as shrinking harvests and salt-dust health risks.
    Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
  • The streaming service lost 21 channels after the live TV provider's contract dispute with The Walt Disney Company ended in an impasse.
    Jenny Porter Tilley, Louisville Courier Journal, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Once the largest importer of American soybeans, China paused purchases of the product in May as bilateral frictions intensified.
    John Liu, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
  • To be sure, OpenAI’s surge isn’t without friction.
    Paulina Likos, CNBC, 24 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
  • The Raptors also played the Bucks, a 122-116 loss, with the home team bumping the game’s start time up by an hour to minimize the conflict between the two games.
    Eric Koreen, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • That is, some of the properties suffered damage during the war, but others were destroyed because the owners left the country during the conflict.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The potential use of AI in esports — or competitive gaming — has sparked debate, however.
    Lucy Handley, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2025
  • Now, Bryan’s latest song has stirred debate over how far immigration enforcement should go and who gets caught in its reach, and whether their hometown country star crossed a line by wading into politics.
    Tyler Kingkade, NBC news, 31 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dissension.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissension. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

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