DISSIDENT Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

dissident 1 of 2

adjective

ˈdi-sə-dənt

Definition of dissident

as in dissenting

deviating from commonly accepted beliefs or practices dissident elements within the Catholic Church

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dissident

2 of 2

noun

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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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 dissident

Adjective

Stötzer nevertheless circulated the text as samizdat, setting her own testimony against the Stasi’s record of her activities—much as the dissident writer Jürgen Fuchs had done in his 1977 text Gedächtnisprotokolle (Memory Protocols). — Elisa R. Linn, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026 Projects must be led by LGBTQ+ directors and screenwriters, or by professionals whose dissident gender identities and expressions inform their creative perspectives. — Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026

Noun

As Mikhail Gorbachev became Soviet premier and promised new openness with a policy of glasnost, a slow thaw would begin toward free speech, human rights, the release of political dissidents and relaxed restrictions on emigration. — Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026 The deportation of Iranians to a country whose government has a pattern of violent persecution against women, religious minorities and political dissidents has drawn significant criticism from human rights activists. — CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dissident

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissident

Adjective

The Fed’s interest rate-setting committee is divided and saw the most dissenting votes in more than three decades last month.

— Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 May 2026
Board member Renee Paschall cast the lone dissenting vote on the final package.

— Elizabeth Sander, San Antonio Express-News, 19 Aug. 2022

Definition of dissenting

Noun

Those surveyed also correctly predicted the dissenters to the decision.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2026
Three of the 12 members on the Fed's policymaking board, however, voted in favor of a rate hike, marking the largest number of dissenters casting ballots in the same direction in a decade.

— Max Zahn, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of dissenter

Adjective

From the start, Paul’s unconventional and volatile romantic relationships were central to the series.

— Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Nobody lives here permanently—only rotating teams of scientists, engineers, and unconventional travelers.

— Hana Al-Khodairi, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of unconventional

Noun

Niger’s ruling junta survived its most serious internal challenge since the 2023 coup after renegade soldiers mutinied in Niamey and Russian Africa Corps fighters helped presidential guards retake a key airbase.

— Chinedu Asadu, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
In some ways, there is a strange kind of unity to these three—all are set during the Depression, all feature stylish renegades.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of renegade

Adjective

The design was by aviation legend Burt Rutan, known for his bold and often maverick creations.

— Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 27 Jan. 2023
But the true landmark was Pierre Balmain’s Vent Vert, created by maverick female perfumer Germaine Cellier (also the mastermind behind Robert Piguet’s showstopping Fracas) in 1947.

— Town & Country, Town & Country, 19 Dec. 2022

Definition of maverick

Adjective

This dogmatic approach to revolutionary citizenship led to the horrible treatment of any perceived as nonconformist, such as LGBTQ people, hippies or punks.

— Juan Carlos Albarran, The Conversation, 13 July 2026
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

Definition of nonconformist

Adjective

Within years, the iconoclastic comic was a weary and defeated man — broke, baggy-eyed, and prematurely old.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
But for the iconoclastic Coppola, a desire to work with an up-and-coming actor, who his friends Brian De Palma and Martin Scorsese had discovered and was not yet a star, became the other key impetus to make the film.

— Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of iconoclastic

Adjective

But the Surrealists were heretical, dreamy, spiritual orphans of the wars, and war touched Evans down in Wilmington, where warships were built.

— Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
Players who complete a series of optional quests involving the Divine Child—a young girl who is the sole survivor of experiments by the heretical monks of Ashina’s Senpou Temple—can choose the Return ending.

— Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of heretical

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“Dissident.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissident. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of dissident

adjective

noun

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