dissenting opinion
Americannoun
Usage
What is a dissenting opinion? When one or more judges on a panel disagree with a decision made by the majority in a court ruling, they can file an official disagreement known as a dissenting opinion. In the United States and other jurisdictions, courts that decide appeals to the decisions of lower courts are called appellate courts (in the U. S., the Supreme Court is the top appellate court). In such courts, rulings are made by a panel of judges, with a majority vote deciding each case. Any judge who doesn’t vote with the majority can file a dissenting opinion (or simply dissent) explaining why they disagree. In a general sense, a dissenting opinion is simply an opinion that does not agree with others—especially one that goes against a mainstream opinion. But the term is most often used in its specific legal sense. Dissenting opinions are part of the legal tradition in many countries, including the U. S., the U. K., Canada, and Ireland. Dissenting opinions are very often discussed in relation to the U. S. Supreme Court, since such opinions can have a significant impact on future court rulings.
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.
Bush, disagreed and published a dissenting opinion Thursday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
That said, just last term, in her dissenting opinion in Medina v.
From Slate ● Apr. 15, 2026
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh also warned about trouble ahead due to refunds in a dissenting opinion that was released Friday along with the majority’s decision.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 20, 2026
The dissenting opinion from Justice Luiz Fux provides substantial grounds for challenging the conviction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2025
In her dissenting opinion, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg drew sharply different lessons from the history of the civil rights movement.
From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman
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