1
as in discords
a lack of agreement or harmony
considerable dissent within the party's rank and file
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in heresies
departure from a generally accepted theory, opinion, or practice
the church reacted to any form of dissent by promptly excommunicating its proponents
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in disagrees
to have a different opinion
anyone who dissented was encouraged to speak out while they had the chance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 dissents
Wayne Unger, The Conversation, 23 Apr. 2026
As a member of the court's liberal minority, Sotomayor often writes or joins dissents in cases involving hot-button political issues.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
The chair of the Fed has just one vote among a dozen on its rate-setting committee, but dissents against the chair are rare.
—Matt Peterson, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2026
During the 2024-25 term, Jackson was in the majority 72 percent of the time, the least of any justice, and wrote 10 dissents, the most of any, according to SCOTUSblog.
—Max Rego, The Hill, 10 Feb. 2026
The appeal was presented to Justice Elena Kagan, but the court reported no dissents.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2026
The internal rift at the Fed remains unresolved since December’s meeting, which produced the most formal dissents at the Fed since 2019.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
Four of the conservative justices have already issued dissents asserting these laws are unconstitutional.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2026
The state Supreme Court upheld the provision 5-2 along party lines, with dissents coming from the two Republican justices, David Overstreet and Lisa Holder White.
—Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Noun
On occasion, however, the court produces short opinions that provide some explanation in emergency docket cases, albeit these are often dissents from the justices who disagree with the ruling.
—Wayne Unger, The Conversation, 23 Apr. 2026
As a member of the court's liberal minority, Sotomayor often writes or joins dissents in cases involving hot-button political issues.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
The chair of the Fed has just one vote among a dozen on its rate-setting committee, but dissents against the chair are rare.
—Matt Peterson, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2026
During the 2024-25 term, Jackson was in the majority 72 percent of the time, the least of any justice, and wrote 10 dissents, the most of any, according to SCOTUSblog.
—Max Rego, The Hill, 10 Feb. 2026
The appeal was presented to Justice Elena Kagan, but the court reported no dissents.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2026
The internal rift at the Fed remains unresolved since December’s meeting, which produced the most formal dissents at the Fed since 2019.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
Four of the conservative justices have already issued dissents asserting these laws are unconstitutional.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2026
The state Supreme Court upheld the provision 5-2 along party lines, with dissents coming from the two Republican justices, David Overstreet and Lisa Holder White.
—Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissents
Noun
-
Your dedicated Slack channels, private discords and endless Reddit threads.—
April Uchitel,
Flow Space,
6 Aug. 2025
-
In every case, physical science, which is based on the evidence reported by these limited and limiting senses, eventually leaves us stranded with the conviction that sickness, accidents, and disasters – discords of every description, regardless of the apparent cause – are real and inevitable.—
Lisa Rennie Sytsma,
Christian Science Monitor,
20 June 2025
Noun
-
His campaign is gaining momentum at a time when many of the administration’s steadfast Christian backers—alarmed by the president’s bullying campaign against Pope Leo XIV in recent weeks, among other heresies—have been rethinking their support.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Fontainebleau disagrees, according to multiple people who participated in an April 21 meeting that included Fontainebleau owner Jeffrey Soffer, leaders from the Mid Beach Neighborhood Association and Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner.—
Aaron Leibowitz,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Abu Dhabi disagrees with OPEC’s quota system which didn’t keep pace with the reality of the UAE’s rising production capacity.—
Wael Mahdi,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Spoken words, brisk rhythms, and the pleasurable frictions of dissonance all remained frothy and intact.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The Kremlin is also exploiting frictions between the United States and Europe over the latter’s reservations about the Iran war.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Given the schisms, some in the GOP believe only a single party-line bill may end up passing before November.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
9 Apr. 2026
-
But over the past decade or so, major schisms have emerged.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Since one of the metaphorical aspects of the script concerns how swiftly conflicts can flare up from small disagreements into major knock-down-drag-out fights, showing the violence and bared-teeth snarling is appropriate, a lighter touch could work, too.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Determined to rise to the occasion and work out every possible kink, Daisy sets out to resolve conflicts between the stews and in the galley.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Post last year reported that an early version of directory was rife with errors, including misidentifying which health care providers were covered by which health care plans.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 May 2026
-
Casey Dart hit a leadoff single for Norton in the fifth, and a rare pair of errors helped the Lancers plate two with nobody out.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Now the edge is getting pushed yet again, as the culture transitions from the memeification of one man’s death to delighting in the real-time memes of wars.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Plenty of others haven’t engaged with the book at all, instead using its premise — and ironically, Hathaway’s role as a female producer on the film — as fodder for the ever-raging American culture wars.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dissents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissents. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
