dissent

American  

[dih-sent] / dɪˈsɛnt /

verb (used without object)

• dissents,
  present (3rd person singular)
• dissented,
  past participle,  past
• dissenting
  present participle

1. to differ in sentiment or opinion, especially from the majority; withhold assent; disagree (often followed byfrom ).

   Two of the justices dissented from the majority decision.

2. to disagree with the methods, goals, etc., of a political party or government; take an opposing view.

3. to disagree with or reject the doctrines or authority of an established church.

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noun

1. difference of sentiment or opinion.

   Synonyms:

   opposition, dissatisfaction, disagreement

2. dissenting opinion.

3. disagreement with the philosophy, methods, goals, etc., of a political party or government.

   Synonyms:

   opposition, dissatisfaction, disagreement

4. separation from an established church, especially the Church of England; nonconformity.

dissent British  

/ dɪˈsɛnt /

verb

1. to have a disagreement or withhold assent

2. Christianity to refuse to conform to the doctrines, beliefs, or practices of an established church, and to adhere to a different system of beliefs and practices

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noun

1. a difference of opinion

2. Christianity separation from an established church; Nonconformism

3. the voicing of a minority opinion in announcing the decision on a case at law; dissenting judgment

Usage

What's the difference between dissent and descent? Dissent can be a noun meaning disagreement, as in I voiced my dissent, or a verb meaning to disagree, as in The judge is expected to dissent. Descent is a noun that means the act of moving downward (descending), a downward movement, or downward movement in general. The two words are pronounced exactly the same. Perhaps the best way to remember the difference between the two is to think about what related words mean and how they’re spelled. Words related to dissent involve agreement or disagreement and end with -sent, including assent and consent. Words related to descent involve movement and are spelled with sc, including descend, ascent, ascension, and transcend. Here’s an example of dissent and descent used correctly in a sentence. Example: There was dissent among the climbers about whether they should attempt the descent during the storm.

Synonym Usage

Dissent, dissidence mean disagreement with the majority opinion. Dissent may express either withholding of agreement or open disagreement. Dissidence, formerly much the same as dissent, has come to suggest not only strong dissatisfaction but a determined opposition.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dissenter
  noun
• dissenting
  adjective
• nondissenting
  adjective
• undissenting
  adjective
• dissentingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• dissenting
  present
• dissented
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• dissent
  simple
• dissents
  simple
• have dissented
  perfect
• has dissented
  perfect
• am dissenting
  progressive
• are dissenting
  progressive
• is dissenting
  progressive
• have been dissenting
  perfect progressive
• has been dissenting
  perfect progressive

Past

• dissented
  simple
• had dissented
  perfect
• was dissenting
  progressive
• were dissenting
  progressive
• had been dissenting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will dissent
  simple
• will have dissented
  perfect
• will be dissenting
  progressive
• will have been dissenting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of dissent

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English dissenten, from Middle French dissentir, from Latin dissentīre, from dis- dis- ¹ + sentīre “to feel”

Explanation

To dissent is to publicly disagree with an official opinion or decision. Dissent is also a noun referring to public disagreement. Both verb and noun are often used in reference to a statement by a judge who disagrees with a decision made by other judges. Dissent is also used to refer to political opposition to government policies. The verb derives from Middle English, from Latin dissentire, from the prefix dis- "apart" plus sentire "to feel."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dissent dissents dissented dissenting

Public shows of dissent have been suppressed by wartime censorship laws and can trigger hefty fines or long prison sentences.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

And in its zeal to purge the newsroom of dissent, CBS and Weiss may have inadvertently triggered the creation of their most dangerous future competitor — and accidentally set the stage for its own undoing.

From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026

It hadn’t, although that 2023 decision, written by Chief Justice Roberts, approvingly quoted Harlan’s Plessy dissent, and Justice Thomas filed a solo concurrence “to offer an originalist defense of the colorblind Constitution.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

“At this point, only the Supreme Court can bring uniformity and settle this question once and for all. I anticipate that it will do so soon,” Judge Diane S. Sykes wrote in her dissent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Meanwhile, her sister, Arsinoe, was up to her usual tricks, working behind the scenes to sow dissent and confusion.

From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby

That number of dissents is unusual and illustrative of the challenge the Fed faces in bringing inflation back down to its two-percent target -- a level it hasn't hit in more than five years.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

Although dissents aren’t rare, Fed chairmen have often sought to project leadership by soliciting consensus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

The only way to figure out how the justices decided is if there were dissents.

From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2026

But when the court was closely split in major cases, Kennedy was likely to be in majority while Scalia wrote scathing and increasingly personal dissents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

It ought not to say that it can somehow find an excuse for calling upon them to desist from 'an experiment in living' from which it dissents.

From The Life of Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, Bart., K.C.S.I. A Judge of the High Court of Justice by Sir Leslie Stephen

It was the first time since 2016 that three officials dissented in the same direction over a policy change.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

The decision marked the first time three Fed officials dissented in the same direction since fall 2016.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

Three of the court's nine justices dissented from the decision: Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

Other justices dissented, questioning Cook’s property claim and the ruling’s broad scope, potentially inviting future challenges.

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

Only the queen's men had dissented, and then not loudly.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

But there are already dissenting members within the confederations, like Bhutan, the Philippines, and the UAE within Asia, who have all backed Infantino.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

The pressure intensified after the Fed on Wednesday held its benchmark rate at 3.5% to 3.75% for a fifth consecutive meeting, with three policymakers dissenting in favor of an increase.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 2, 2026

The Fed held rates at 3.50-3.75 percent for its fifth straight meeting on Wednesday, with three of the committee's 12 members dissenting in favor of a quarter-percentage-point rate hike.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

Previous chairs could persuade a colleague against dissenting with a tweak to the statement—a hawkish phrase here, a dovish nod there—or by implying that action was likelier at a later meeting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

The White House meeting that formally inaugurated the thermonuclear age took all of seven minutes, and it only lasted that long because Lilienthal asked for the time to express his dissenting view.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• discord
• dissension
• disunity
• objection
• opposition
• protest
• resistance
• schism
• strife