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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dissident
Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 9 Dec. 2025
The wins were even more notable for coming hours after the dissident filmmaker was sentenced to prison in absentia by Iran’s Revolutionary Tribunal.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Dec. 2025
The group, according to the source, has helped numerous dissidents, activists and ordinary citizens flee the country as political repression has intensified.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissident
Adjective
Additionally, the board was critical of the dissident group’s methods in seeking out an overhaul at ZIM.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 9 Dec. 2025
The wins were even more notable for coming hours after the dissident filmmaker was sentenced to prison in absentia by Iran’s Revolutionary Tribunal.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
Noun
He’s marked as a dissident for responding with defiance to lesson plans mandated by federal authorities after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that teach youngsters to become Russian nationalists.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Dec. 2025
The group, according to the source, has helped numerous dissidents, activists and ordinary citizens flee the country as political repression has intensified.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 11 Dec. 2025
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
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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
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What’s safe for Jews was itself a matter of disagreement among the bill’s backers and dissenters.—
CalMatters,
Mercury News,
14 Oct. 2025
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Jerusalem — On a hot Friday morning in September, dozens of Israelis turned up at Gaza’s border fence – not as soldiers, but as dissenters.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Its modular architecture allows custom sizes, voltages, and geometries, enabling unconventional uses such as structural integration into vehicle frames, drones, or chassis designs.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Jan. 2026
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In the series, Winkler would play Howard Greenberg, a hard-driving and unconventional criminal defense attorney who is a fierce advocate for his underdog clients.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Paso Robles is independent, even a bit renegade.—
Justin Goldman,
AFAR Media,
24 Oct. 2025
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For years, Hollywood content creators have warned about piracy, whether through bootleg VHS tapes, or BitTorrent, or renegade streaming providers.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The design was by aviation legend Burt Rutan, known for his bold and often maverick creations.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN,
27 Jan. 2023
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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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In an environment like this, choosing not to speak can be as nonconformist, and perhaps even as difficult, as open dissent.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
27 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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In this autofictional novel, Huisman describes growing up in Paris with her beautiful, bipolar mother and iconoclastic, flamboyant father.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
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If its absence speaks obliquely to the Dadaist disregard for aesthetic permanence, its iconography—and its iconoclastic mordancy—echoes throughout his entire corpus.—
Ara H. Merjian,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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That’s because The Carpenter’s Son is not only gruesomely horror-leaning, but it’s based on the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, which some deem heretical or even blasphemous.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
14 Nov. 2025
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Another option is to be a bit heretical.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dissident.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissident. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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