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
Lily Moayeri, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2026
But unfortunately, as often happens in dissident movements, Iranians have been much better at tearing one another down than finding points of commonality.
—Stephanie Bai, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
As Fisk's anti-vigilante task force abducts dissidents off the street, locking them away in an undisclosed warehouse full of cages, Daredevil (Charlie Cox) becomes a symbol of rebellion for those willing to fight back.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dissident
Adjective
Among the many imprisoned was dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi, who over the course of three years spent more time behind bars than out of them.
—Lily Moayeri, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2026
But unfortunately, as often happens in dissident movements, Iranians have been much better at tearing one another down than finding points of commonality.
—Stephanie Bai, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
Noun
Executive producers are Scott Norville for Evergreen Productions and Kris Kucinskas and Maria Logan for The Dossier Center, an investigative organization funded by Russian dissident Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
As Fisk's anti-vigilante task force abducts dissidents off the street, locking them away in an undisclosed warehouse full of cages, Daredevil (Charlie Cox) becomes a symbol of rebellion for those willing to fight back.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 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
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Kornyev’s client is the barely hanging on Stepinak (Aleksandr Filippenko), a Bolshevik targeted by the secret police told to muzzle and expunge dissenters.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
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When a 19-year-old wrestler and two other men were hanged in the holy city of Qom on Thursday, Iran’s theocratic regime was sending a message to both dissenters inside the country and opponents abroad, analysts say.—
Mohammed Tawfeeq,
CNN Money,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Twenty years after the end of Laguna Beach, Lauren Conrad, Stephen Colletti and Kristin Cavallari are having an unconventional high school reunion.—
Kirsten Chuba,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Mar. 2026
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But the highest threat still comes from Iran’s unconventional arsenal, like drones, fast-attack small vessels and even unmanned boats that are filled with explosives.—
Annette Choi,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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However, in the French Riviera city of Nice, an ally of Marine Le Pen's party, renegade conservative Eric Ciotti, looks set to win against a candidate backed by the center.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Wandering around the park, dry leaves crunching underfoot, feels like crashing a dress rehearsal, or an extremely chill treeworker renegade.—
Calin Van Paris,
Outside,
19 Mar. 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
-
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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The Anabaptists were a radical nonconformist sect that took the egalitarian, pacifist, and renunciatory injunctions of the Bible seriously and tried to organize communal living, before being ruthlessly persecuted by the authorities and other Protestant sects.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
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Graham eventually created a work called Heretic about a nonconformist woman who is shunned by her community.—
Elizabeth Blair,
NPR,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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There’s an iconoclastic aspect to her as well, suggesting a challenge to the gods and nature in figuration that is ultimately rejected.—
Theo Belci,
Artforum,
27 Feb. 2026
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The film’s official synopsis is a quote attributed to the iconoclastic filmmaker.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
15 Jan. 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
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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 31 Mar. 2026.
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