dissident
Americannoun
-
dissidents
plural
adjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of dissident
1525–35; < Latin dissident- (stem of dissidēns, present participle of dissidēre to sit apart), equivalent to dis- dis- 1 + -sid- (combining form of sed- repair 1 ) + -ent- -ent
Explanation
If you are a dissident, you are a person who is rebelling against a government. Dissidents can do their work peacefully or with violence. Dissident is closely related to the word, dissent, which means objecting. People who are dissidents show their dissent. Catholic priests who advocate allowing women into the priesthood could be called dissidents, as could the Puritans who left England to live in colonial America. As an adjective, a dissident member of a group is one who disagrees with the majority of members.
Vocabulary lists containing dissident
Power Prefix: dis-
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Refugee
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Not whether Ellison privately considers himself a conservative, a liberal or a man above ideology, nor whether Weiss thinks of herself as a dissident or a reformer.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
Prominent Cuban dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara flew to exile Saturday in the United States after serving a five-year sentence on the island, as Washington urged Havana to release more than 700 political prisoners.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
The Interior Ministry, with an estimated 140,000 state security officials and 500,000 informants, monitors and infiltrates dissident movements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
The prosecution suggested that the disorder which broke out had been deliberately orchestrated by dissident republicans to coincide with the presence of MTV.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
A few days ago, Mr. Washburn was issued revised orders to vacate the compound and have no further dealings with any dissident elements.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
They argued the vast new embassy next to the Tower of London would increase the risk of a terror attack and of espionage and harassment of dissidents and protesters.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
One of Cuba's most prominent dissidents has gone into exile in the US, after leaving Cuba where he had served a five-year prison sentence.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Bulgaria’s secret services kept a dossier on him during his years abroad, routinely monitoring the correspondence of prominent exiles and dissidents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Black and Indigenous Americans, labor organizers, immigrants, queer people, political dissidents, abuse survivors, and countless others have discovered that rights celebrated in the abstract can evaporate when exercised against the wrong forces.
From Slate ● Jun. 4, 2026
I’ve heard the men say that there are dissidents everywhere—even among the armed forces and policemen and cabinet members—just waiting for a signal that El Jefe is out of the way.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
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.
