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 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
Prosecutors said the Manhattan outpost was part of a broader Chinese government effort to monitor and intimidate dissidents abroad, including in the United States.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
One of us even faced an assassination plot in Canada and concluded he was poisoned in Russia for defending Iranian human rights lawyers and Russian dissidents.
—Irwin Cotler, Time, 8 May 2026
LondonReuters — Two men, including a British immigration officer, were found guilty in a London court on Thursday of spying on behalf of Hong Kong and ultimately China, targeting prominent pro-democracy dissidents now based in Britain.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
Since seizing power in a 2022 coup, Burkina Faso’s junta has cracked down on political dissent and journalists, shutting down independent media outlets and forcibly conscripting dissidents into the army to fight Islamic militants.
—ABC News, 6 May 2026
Thousands of political dissidents across Iran are believed to have been arrested during the war, while executions have surged to their highest level in 30 years.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 4 May 2026
In How to Be a Dissident, Beckerman draws on the stories of dissidents from around the globe and across time, to provide models for pushing back against tyranny.
—The Atlantic, 1 May 2026
Pseudonyms were important in the colonial and Revolutionary eras to protect dissidents from retaliation by English officials.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
Prosecutors said the Manhattan outpost was part of a broader Chinese government effort to monitor and intimidate dissidents abroad, including in the United States.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
One of us even faced an assassination plot in Canada and concluded he was poisoned in Russia for defending Iranian human rights lawyers and Russian dissidents.
—Irwin Cotler, Time, 8 May 2026
LondonReuters — Two men, including a British immigration officer, were found guilty in a London court on Thursday of spying on behalf of Hong Kong and ultimately China, targeting prominent pro-democracy dissidents now based in Britain.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
Since seizing power in a 2022 coup, Burkina Faso’s junta has cracked down on political dissent and journalists, shutting down independent media outlets and forcibly conscripting dissidents into the army to fight Islamic militants.
—ABC News, 6 May 2026
Thousands of political dissidents across Iran are believed to have been arrested during the war, while executions have surged to their highest level in 30 years.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 4 May 2026
In How to Be a Dissident, Beckerman draws on the stories of dissidents from around the globe and across time, to provide models for pushing back against tyranny.
—The Atlantic, 1 May 2026
Pseudonyms were important in the colonial and Revolutionary eras to protect dissidents from retaliation by English officials.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissidents
dissenters
Noun
-
At the far end of the hall, a young man in his mid-20s named Simon Bonenfant was posing like one of the dissenters, Elbridge Gerry.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
11 May 2026
-
The dissenters largely expressed the view that the next move could be higher or lower, depending on how conditions unfold.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dissidents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissidents. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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