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
News Desk, Artforum, 8 May 2026
In August 2020 Russian dissident Alexei Navalny became seriously ill on a flight to Moscow, and tests later confirmed that he had been exposed to Novichok.
—Nick Tabor, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Apr. 2026
Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 19 May 2026
The case has become one of the most emblematic examples cited by rights organizations accusing Venezuela’s security apparatus of using arbitrary detention, incommunicado imprisonment and forced disappearances against dissidents and suspected opponents.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for dissident
Adjective
The Biennale has been the stage for numerous protests already since its May 5 preview opening, with dissident Russian artist collective Pussy Riot among the demonstrators.
—News Desk, Artforum, 8 May 2026
In August 2020 Russian dissident Alexei Navalny became seriously ill on a flight to Moscow, and tests later confirmed that he had been exposed to Novichok.
—Nick Tabor, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Apr. 2026
Noun
Zvyagintsev has never cast himself as a dissident; his dense stories of corrupt authority and moral turpitude could arguably be told anywhere.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 19 May 2026
The case has become one of the most emblematic examples cited by rights organizations accusing Venezuela’s security apparatus of using arbitrary detention, incommunicado imprisonment and forced disappearances against dissidents and suspected opponents.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for dissident
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissident
Adjective
-
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
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The Indian government, far more committed to democratic procedures than its Chinese counterpart, had crushed dissenters for actions far less provocative.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
-
One commissioner voted ‘no,’ has concerns The board voted 4-1 to approve the measure; Commissioner Michelle Clasen, who represents Woodbury, was the lone dissenter.—
Mary Divine,
Twin Cities,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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Pratt, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the race’s most unconventional and unpredictable candidates.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
29 May 2026
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Last year, Smith acknowledged the artsy small city is an unconventional place to find world-class pizza.—
Heidi Finley,
Charlotte Observer,
28 May 2026
Noun
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People didn’t come to the series with a working knowledge of the State Department, ready to see what the renegades were like.—
Debora Cahn,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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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
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 the end, Levine’s profile of the nonconformist genius reveals just how superb a dancer Cole was.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
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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
Adjective
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Oscar Wilde, for example, reposes beneath a hulking deity whose iconoclastic castration, back in 1961, did little to restrain pilgrims seeking to smear red lips across his stony physique.—
Emily Cox,
ARTnews.com,
22 May 2026
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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
Adjective
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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 7 Jun. 2026.
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