as in dissenters
a person who believes, teaches, or advocates something opposed to accepted beliefs
the conference drew political dissidents of every ilk
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Recent Examples of dissidents
The Eisenhower administration wanted Trujillo removed but ultimately a group of Dominican dissidents gunned him down.
—
Ryan Lucas, NPR, 17 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
Or perhaps the dissidents simply do not want to get butchered like the others.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 14 Mar. 2026
Navarro, his daughter Saily Navarro and other prominent dissidents like artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara and musician Maykel Castillo, all convicted for participating in islandwide demonstrations against the government on July 11, 2021, are still in prison.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026
Finding indigenous Iranians who can lead this charge will not be easy, given the regime’s decades of hollowing out the opposition by killing or arresting dissidents with leadership skills.
—Dennis Ross, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
But from his perspective, the pain people are suffering now rivals generations of suffering from dissidents who did not support the regime.
—Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 7 Mar. 2026
Assuming it can be carried out, a swift succession is meant to signal to domestic dissidents and external enemies alike that the regime – or ruling system, nezam – remains in place.
—Eric Lob, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2026
Newspapers were closed, dissidents jailed, and candidates kept off the ballot.
—Karl Vick, Time, 28 Feb. 2026
Ryan Lucas, NPR, 17 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
Or perhaps the dissidents simply do not want to get butchered like the others.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 14 Mar. 2026
Navarro, his daughter Saily Navarro and other prominent dissidents like artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara and musician Maykel Castillo, all convicted for participating in islandwide demonstrations against the government on July 11, 2021, are still in prison.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026
Finding indigenous Iranians who can lead this charge will not be easy, given the regime’s decades of hollowing out the opposition by killing or arresting dissidents with leadership skills.
—Dennis Ross, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
But from his perspective, the pain people are suffering now rivals generations of suffering from dissidents who did not support the regime.
—Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 7 Mar. 2026
Assuming it can be carried out, a swift succession is meant to signal to domestic dissidents and external enemies alike that the regime – or ruling system, nezam – remains in place.
—Eric Lob, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2026
Newspapers were closed, dissidents jailed, and candidates kept off the ballot.
—Karl Vick, Time, 28 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissidents
dissenters
Noun
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Such torrential downpours, from loyalists and dissenters alike, often follow the deaths of notorious and long-ruling dictators—Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Saddam Hussein.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2026
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One of those dissenters was the linguist Mark Liberman, who lambasted the word numerous times over the years in his blog Language Log.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dissidents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissidents. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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