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-
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Refugee
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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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:
Anne Martens, a workshop attendee as well as an artist and poet, said the idea of surveillance and dissident art intrigues her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
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
The vehicle was stopped during an operation targeting dissident republican activities on Wednesday but further details are just emerging.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 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
In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Iran has a record of using criminal proxies to undertake covert operations on European soil, usually targeting Jewish sites or dissidents of the regime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Gershkovich was held in Moscow's infamous Lefortovo jail, which has held some of the country's most high-profile inmates over the years, including political prisoners and dissidents.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Taught by L.A.-based artist and poet Kate Ingold, the workshops center on samizdat, a practice in which Soviet dissidents hand-typed literature, criticism and poetry to bypass state censorship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
While a handful of moderate dissidents are tacitly tolerated as a matter of expedience, most other heretics have been driven from the tent.
From Slate ● Sep. 10, 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.
