dissenter

[ dih-sen-ter ]

/ dɪˈsɛn tər /

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See synonyms for dissenter on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who dissents, as from an established church, political party, or majority opinion.

(sometimes initial capital letter) an English Protestant who dissents from the Church of England.

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Origin of dissenter

First recorded in 1630–40; dissent + -er¹

Words nearby dissenter

dissemination, disseminator, disseminule, dissension, dissent, dissenter, dissentient, dissenting opinion, dissentious, dissepiment, dissert

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dissenter in a sentence

One of the most common arguments raised by dissenters is that vaccine mandates infringe upon unvaccinated people’s human rights and civil liberties.
Do mandatory vaccines violate human rights?|Sarah Todd|August 5, 2021|Quartz
The short opinion, with Justice Clarence Thomas as the lone dissenter, was the court’s latest attempt to clarify the free-speech rights of the nation’s 50 million public school students, and a rare win for student speech.
Supreme Court sides with high school cheerleader in free-speech dispute over profane Snapchat rant|Robert Barnes|June 23, 2021|Washington Post
Suddenly, Lieber went from perennial dissenter to board president.
Big Changes, Tensions Roil Fallbrook Union Elementary School Board|Will Fritz|March 2, 2021|Voice of San Diego
Roberts, the other dissenter in the Ramos case, was more difficult to read.
Supreme Court weighs whether its ruling requiring unanimous juries should be applied retroactively|Robert Barnes|December 2, 2020|Washington Post

Kagan, although a dissenter in Ramos, suggested this might be another.
Supreme Court weighs whether its ruling requiring unanimous juries should be applied retroactively|Robert Barnes|December 2, 2020|Washington Post
I think you should give the dissenter the respect to respond to the points that he makes.
Antonin Scalia Believes in the Devil & 8 More Juicy Bits from the ‘New York’ Magazine Profile|Caroline Linton|October 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Among the committee members, Meretz MK Zehava Gal-On was the sole dissenter.
Israel's Perpetual State Of Emergency|Mira Sucharov|April 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
By expressing my doubts, I am clearly a dissenter in this persistent force for progress.
Gays Who Don't Want Gay Marriage|Natalie Neusch|February 26, 2011|DAILY BEAST
McCain thinks of himself as a maverick, an unorthodox thinker, a dissenter.
McCain's Revenge|News Shrink|November 5, 2008|DAILY BEAST
I wanted to see a live Dissenter, I believe, and yet I wished it were over.
My Lady Ludlow|Elizabeth Gaskell
New-Rochelle was then a parish, and its rector, of course, considered the French preacher a dissenter.
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 2, No. 2, August, 1862|Various
The four lieutenants stepped out of the way, so that the single dissenter might stand alone.
Down the Rhine|Oliver Optic
The squire was interested in the land and the church; the merchant thought more of commerce and was apt to be a dissenter.
The English Utilitarians, Volume I.|Leslie Stephen
I heard an earnest middle-aged dissenter preach a sermon on that text a few days ago.
Robin|Frances Hodgson Burnett

British Dictionary definitions for dissenter

Dissenter

/ (dɪˈsɛntə) /

noun

Christianity, mainly British a Nonconformist or a person who refuses to conform to the established church

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012