dissident
Americannoun
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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100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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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.
Appeared in the December 23, 2025, print edition as 'China Stalks a Hong Kong Dissident'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025
Dissident GOP Sen. Dennis Pyle, from the state’s northeastern corner, said lawmakers were making progress.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 29, 2024
Dissident Peronist Juan Schiaretti from Hacemos por Nuestro País and Myriam Bregman from the leftist Frente de Izquierda coalition are also on the ballot, but polls report their voter support at less than 6% each.
From Reuters • Oct. 16, 2023
Dissident republicanism is made up of various groups which broke away from the Provisional IRA in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, including the Continuity IRA and New IRA.
From BBC • Feb. 24, 2023
Thy-doxy, if thou be Dissident, is that he cannot; but that he must become an accursed thing.
From The French Revolution by Carlyle, Thomas
Definitions 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.
