as in dissenting
deviating from commonly accepted beliefs or practices
dissident elements within the Catholic Church
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dissenter
a person who believes, teaches, or advocates something opposed to accepted beliefs
the conference drew political dissidents of every ilk
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of dissident
Russell Berman, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2026
In the 15 years since his 81-day detention by China’s Ministry of Public Security, artist and dissident artist Ai Weiwei has explicitly addressed the harrowing experience in his work.
—Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 4 May 2026
In nine short, potent chapters, Beckerman lays out the essential traits of an effective dissident — loyalty, recklessness and watchfulness, among them — to illustrate how communities of resistance are built from the ground up.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for dissident
Adjective
When dissident Republicans held up Kevin McCarthy’s election as speaker in early 2023, Massie—who for once was not among the rebels—pushed them to seek changes to House rules rather than merely a new leader.
—Russell Berman, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2026
In the 15 years since his 81-day detention by China’s Ministry of Public Security, artist and dissident artist Ai Weiwei has explicitly addressed the harrowing experience in his work.
—Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
Thousands of political dissidents across Iran are believed to have been arrested during the war, while executions have surged to their highest level in 30 years.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 4 May 2026
In nine short, potent chapters, Beckerman lays out the essential traits of an effective dissident — loyalty, recklessness and watchfulness, among them — to illustrate how communities of resistance are built from the ground up.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for dissident
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissident
Adjective
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Board member Renee Paschall cast the lone dissenting vote on the final package.—
Elizabeth Sander,
San Antonio Express-News,
19 Aug. 2022
-
The document runs to more than a hundred and fifty pages, and for each question there are affirmative and dissenting studies, as well as some that indicate mixed results.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
3 June 2022
Noun
-
They were being given the time and guidance to notice how those men carried themselves — the set of a shoulder, the placement of a hand, the stance of a dissenter making his case.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
11 May 2026
-
The dissenters largely expressed the view that the next move could be higher or lower, depending on how conditions unfold.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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Yet, intriguingly, there’s also been scattered rumors about how his unconventional campaign can be turned into TV content that harkens back to his MTV days.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
-
That’s an act of service in an animation landscape where most American studios fear crafting anything remotely unconventional or unequivocally adult-oriented.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Young Julian might also be surprised by how your Corpus crew, which started kind of like a renegade group of friends, now has real community impact.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
14 May 2026
-
To distinguish itself from all the other renegade action shows out there, showrunner Kyle Killen echoes his project’s cinematic predecessor, albeit with hollow results.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The design was by aviation legend Burt Rutan, known for his bold and often maverick creations.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN,
27 Jan. 2023
-
Sinema has modeled her political approach on the maverick style of the late Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who alienated the grassroots of his party by sometimes crossing the aisle to work with Democrats.—
Time,
Time,
23 Jan. 2023
Adjective
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When personal finance tips resonate with a viewers’ values, everyday financial decision-making can become colored with politics and nonconformist sentiments.—
Maximilian Brichta,
The Conversation,
22 Apr. 2026
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With nonconformist narration and characteristic whimsy, her work offers us a space to wonder and reflect in a fraught time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Demna’s iconoclastic approach seems to have remained the same, to let the ideas, the world around the clothes, speak louder than the designs themselves.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
17 May 2026
-
When Karin carried on that group’s theatrics and iconoclastic spirit into their solo work as Fever Ray, Olof slipped out of the spotlight.—
Will Lynch,
Pitchfork,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
Drunkenness, like madness, protects the messengers of heretical truth from disbelief, disdain, and retaliation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
-
This heretical policy gets some support from yet another rigid convention, that of credits, which separates directors from screenwriters.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dissident.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissident. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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