dissident
Americannoun
adjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
- antidissident noun
- dissidence noun
- dissidently adverb
- nondissident adjective
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.
Several hundred people, including some in combat uniforms and wearing face coverings, have taken part in a dissident republican Easter commemoration in Londonderry.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
My own family fled after the 2021 military coup when my mother was put on a wanted list for being a prominent dissident.
From Slate • Mar. 19, 2026
Government forces would either have to expose themselves to withering attacks in an attempt to reclaim the territory or allow an ever-increasing area to come under dissident control and armed infiltration across the country.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026
Ramirez's dissident former allies are among the suspects.
From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026
The nearest thing classical music had to a genuine political dissident in the 1930s was the Hungarian modernist Bela Bartok.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
