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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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.
See Examples For:
Not whether Ellison privately considers himself a conservative, a liberal or a man above ideology, nor whether Weiss thinks of herself as a dissident or a reformer.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
"I think it evidences the fact that there is an ongoing threat in respect of dissident republican activity," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Otero Alcantara is one of the most prominent figures in Cuba's new dissident movement.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
The Interior Ministry, with an estimated 140,000 state security officials and 500,000 informants, monitors and infiltrates dissident movements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
A few days ago, Mr. Washburn was issued revised orders to vacate the compound and have no further dealings with any dissident elements.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
"It can be dissidents, journalists that are in the opposition against the regime, and it can also be Israeli targets."
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
On the island, dissidents were a messy nuisance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
She said last year she had turned down France's highest civilian honour, the legion d'honneur, accusing the country of "hypocrisy" over visa policies that prevented dissidents travelling from Iran to France.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
Black and Indigenous Americans, labor organizers, immigrants, queer people, political dissidents, abuse survivors, and countless others have discovered that rights celebrated in the abstract can evaporate when exercised against the wrong forces.
From Slate ● Jun. 4, 2026
I’ve heard the men say that there are dissidents everywhere—even among the armed forces and policemen and cabinet members—just waiting for a signal that El Jefe is out of the way.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
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.
