dissenter
noun
a person who dissents, as from an established church, political party, or majority opinion.
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Dissenters.
Dissenter
British
/ dɪˈsɛntə /
noun
Etymology
Origin of dissenter
Explanation
A dissenter is someone who disagrees with commonly held opinions or beliefs. Except for one dissenter (your brother who dislikes amusement parks), everyone in your family is looking forward to going to Disneyland next summer. If the U.S. Supreme Court makes a decision that's supported by eight of the Justices, the one Justice who disagrees with the ruling is a dissenter. This word is also used to mean "protester," or someone who stands up and takes action against a law or policy. In the 17th century, dissenter was used for someone who disagreed with a religious belief or doctrine.
Vocabulary lists containing dissenter
Vocabulary from texts about flag burning
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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.
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“John Marshall Harlan, the great dissenter, who dissented in Wong Kim Ark and later gave a bunch of lectures, he posed the question about the sojourners,” Justice Neil Gorsuch said.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
Tamura, a former private bank executive, is considered hawkish and known as a frequent dissenter who has repeatedly proposed rate hikes when the board chose to stand pat, including ahead of the June move.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
The fourth dissenter, Gov. Stephen Miran, voted to lower interest rates for his sixth consecutive meeting.
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
Miran was the only dissenter to the Fed’s decision to not change interest rates last week.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 2026
The occasional dissenter accuses me of betraying my fellow officers and being a rat, asserting that “what goes on in corrections should stay in corrections.”
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Today, Harlan is celebrated in history as the Great Dissenter.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 28, 2022
Peter S. Canellos, a managing editor at Politico, is the author of “The Great Dissenter: The Story of John Marshall Harlan, America’s Judicial Hero,” from which this essay is adapted.
From New York Times ● Aug. 20, 2021
Justice Ginsburg, left behind, is being called the Great Dissenter.
From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2015
Meanwhile in an interview with Firedoglake’s The Dissenter this week, the ex-CIA agent said, “I am wearing my conviction as a badge of honor”: I am proud that I stood up to our government.
From Salon ● Jan. 25, 2013
He avowed himself “a Dissenter against his will,” and stated that the Athanasian Creed was the last stumbling-block in his way to joining the Church of England.
From Norfolk Annals A Chronological Record of Remarkable Events in the Nineteeth Century, Vol. 2 by Charles Mackie
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.
