dissident

adjective

dis·​si·​dent ˈdi-sə-dənt 

: disagreeing especially with an established religious or political system, organization, or belief

dissident elements in the armed forces

dissident noun

Synonyms

• dissentient
• dissenting
• heretical
• heretic
• heterodox
• iconoclastic
• maverick
• nonconformist
• nonorthodox
• out-there
• unconventional
• unorthodox

Examples of dissident in a Sentence

dissident elements within the Catholic Church

Recent Examples on the Web

Iranian dissident filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof (There Is No Evil) had to flee his home country to evade an eight-year prison sentence last year. —Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2025

When asked questions related to Chinese dissident contemporary artists Ai Weiwei and Gao Zhen (of the Gao Brothers duo), DeepSeek’s replies appeared biased in favor of China’s government. —The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 29 Jan. 2025

Turkish authorities have fired and arrested tens of thousands of people in the wake of a 2016 coup attempt by a Turkish military faction allegedly linked to the movement of dissident religious leader Fethullah Gulen. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025

In 2018, dissident Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered and dismembered. —Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin dissident-, dissidens, present participle of dissidēre to sit apart, disagree, from dis- + sedēre to sit — more at sit

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

dissident

adjective

dis·​si·​dent ˈdis-əd-ənt 

: disagreeing with an opinion or a group

dissident noun