Trivia Time

Which Supreme Court justice signaled dissent with a majority opinion by wearing a black collar?

Test Your Knowledge

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.

---

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

---

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

This decision, though, was so upsetting that it drew a sharp dissent from Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026

Rodriguez has sought to frame her interim government as more permissive of political dissent while currying favour with the US.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

"Both the majority and dissent agree that this case is likely to have limited impact on the midterms," Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a blog post.

From Barron's ● Sep. 25, 2026

Since the beginning of the central bank’s modern era about 50 years ago, it has been extraordinarily rare for a sitting Fed chair to dissent on a decision on interest rates.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

Pst, pst, like a cat luring a mouse from its hole, they goad each other into quarrels and dissent.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

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

Three of the 12 senior Fed officials who vote on interest rates favored an increase, marking the most dissents since 2016.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

Still, three dissents in favor of higher rates on the 12-person policy committee-and a sharp rise in long-term bond yields Wednesday—suggested the pressure is mounting for the Fed to act.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

On a decision to hold rates, Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh will likely face 2-4 dissents, the analyst says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

The watermen in Lucian give the preference to a jackdaw: but Antipater in some degree dissents, and thinks that the swan has the advantage.

From A New System; or, an Analysis of Antient Mythology. Volume II. (of VI.) by Jacob Bryant

The top court's three liberal justices - Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson - dissented.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

At the July meeting, nine top Fed officials were in the hold camp and three dissented in favor of a rate hike.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

At the committee's last meeting in July, three regional Fed presidents dissented from the decision to hold rates steady, calling for an immediate 0.25 percentage-point hike to tackle inflation.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

But Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. dissented, along with the court’s three liberals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026

“Outstanding people left because the atmosphere at the Radiation Laboratory. . . did not make people who dissented feel they were welcome,” observed David Saxon, the future university president.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Former Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., who now serves as the mayor of Oakland, cast the only dissenting vote.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

And as Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson warned in her solo dissenting opinion from the per curiam order, the real issue is not that the court punted a decision on the merits here.

From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026

The motion was approved on a 10-3 vote at Tuesday’s council meeting, with Imelda Padilla, Traci Park and Monica Rodriguez dissenting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Federal Reserve policymakers Beth Hammack and Neel Kashkari said stubborn inflation drove their dissenting votes for higher interest rates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

But it was also meant to be a godly community, a religious home for the Puritans, who did not tolerate dissenting views on spiritual matters.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Related Words

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