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
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
Skip to content Both loyalists and dissidents wept over the death of Ayatollah Khamenei.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
Newspapers were closed, dissidents jailed, and candidates kept off the ballot.
—Karl Vick, Time, 28 Feb. 2026
References were made to threat intelligence reports showing that China was already using AI models to target dissidents overseas.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2026
According to the department, the unit has monitored foreign funding flows to block support for opposition groups and civil society organizations and has liquidated the assets of dissidents and nongovernmental organizations without legal basis.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
Beijing has long deployed such tactics against overseas Chinese dissidents as well as the Uyghur and Tibetan diaspora, whose family members still within reach of Chinese authorities have been detained, harassed and intimidated.
—Shibani Mahtani, NPR, 26 Feb. 2026
But the Iranian government successfully crushed the unrest, and arrests and abuse of dissidents continue.
—Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
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
Skip to content Both loyalists and dissidents wept over the death of Ayatollah Khamenei.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
Newspapers were closed, dissidents jailed, and candidates kept off the ballot.
—Karl Vick, Time, 28 Feb. 2026
References were made to threat intelligence reports showing that China was already using AI models to target dissidents overseas.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2026
According to the department, the unit has monitored foreign funding flows to block support for opposition groups and civil society organizations and has liquidated the assets of dissidents and nongovernmental organizations without legal basis.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
Beijing has long deployed such tactics against overseas Chinese dissidents as well as the Uyghur and Tibetan diaspora, whose family members still within reach of Chinese authorities have been detained, harassed and intimidated.
—Shibani Mahtani, NPR, 26 Feb. 2026
But the Iranian government successfully crushed the unrest, and arrests and abuse of dissidents continue.
—Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 20 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 14 Mar. 2026.
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