dissident
Americannoun
-
dissidents
plural
adjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of dissident
1525–35; < Latin dissident- (stem of dissidēns, present participle of dissidēre to sit apart), equivalent to dis- dis- 1 + -sid- (combining form of sed- repair 1 ) + -ent- -ent
Explanation
If you are a dissident, you are a person who is rebelling against a government. Dissidents can do their work peacefully or with violence. Dissident is closely related to the word, dissent, which means objecting. People who are dissidents show their dissent. Catholic priests who advocate allowing women into the priesthood could be called dissidents, as could the Puritans who left England to live in colonial America. As an adjective, a dissident member of a group is one who disagrees with the majority of members.
Vocabulary lists containing dissident
Power Prefix: dis-
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Refugee
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Set up in 1988 and named after Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, the prize is bestowed annually on individuals or organisations to recognise their fight for human rights or democracy.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
He’s brought in for questioning after allegedly conspiring with a dissident priest, only to find that his interrogator is a former student.
From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2026
Under the Soviet Union, dissident artists, poets and creators distributed their work within small, private networks, according to Ingold.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
The plotters paid a Venezuelan man to surveil the dissident around Washington this summer, the indictment says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
His campaign attracted many PRI dissidents who opposed the free-market economic reforms undertaken by then-President Miguel de la Madrid.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
He also said Iran was clearly stepping up its hybrid attacks against the U.K., most of which have until now been focused on Jewish sites and dissidents of the regime in Tehran.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Gershkovich was held in Moscow's infamous Lefortovo jail, which has held some of the country's most high-profile inmates over the years, including political prisoners and dissidents.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Taught by L.A.-based artist and poet Kate Ingold, the workshops center on samizdat, a practice in which Soviet dissidents hand-typed literature, criticism and poetry to bypass state censorship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
As for the park itself, it was an American version of a Middle Eastern bazaar, with folk singers, storytellers, beggars, political dissidents, soapbox orators, and even the occasional snake charmer.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
