dissidence

American  

[dis-i-duhns] / ˈdɪs ɪ dəns /

noun

1. disagreement.

   political dissidence.

---

Synonym Usage

See dissent.

Other Word Forms

• nondissidence
  noun

Etymology

Origin of dissidence

1650–60; < Latin dissidentia, equivalent to dissid- ( see dissident) + -entia -ence

Explanation

Dissidence is a kind of opposition or disagreement that's often aimed at a government. Sometimes dissidence takes the form of massive numbers of protesters marching in the streets. The noun dissidence first appeared in the 17th century, defined as "separation in opinion." It comes from the Latin dissidere, "to disagree" or "to sit apart," and its roots, dis-, "apart," and sedere, "to sit." Dissidence occurs when a person (or a group) expresses strong objections to the policies or opinions of an official body. Dissidence can take various forms, from strikes and protests to newspaper editorials.

Example Sentences

“They write to all my paranoia and anti-establishment dissidence and conspiracy theories. So it’s been a lot of fun for me. A dream, really.”

From Washington Times • Feb. 19, 2023

The source at the Democratic Renovation Union, a group that grew from dissidence within the Sandinista movement, said Torres' family would make an announcement on his death later.

From Reuters • Feb. 12, 2022

“All three fed into one another as creativity involves dissidence and dissidence leads to revolution. This made all her books revolve around the need to remove the blindfolds placed around the mind.”

From Washington Post • Mar. 23, 2021

Full dissidence may or may not have applied to Kaepernick, but it certainly felt personal.

From Salon • Jan. 20, 2020

THE Church had not always been an organization which considered its highest duty to be the forcible suppression of dissidence at any cost.

From A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume I by Lea, Henry Charles