dissent
gb/dɪsˈɛnt/ us/dɪsˈɛnt/
C1
English
~ 7300
Senses
0 senses
Noun
formal
C1
entity
1
public or formal disagreement
strong and often public disagreement with the ideas or decisions of people in power or of most people in a group.
Usage pattern:
dissent from [a decision/policy/view]
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse 'dissent' with 'descent' (going down) or 'consent' (agreement). Also, 'dissent' is usually used for more formal or serious disagreement, often about politics, policy, or official decisions, not for small, everyday disagreements.
Synonyms
disagreement (more general and common; does not always suggest something official or public as dissent often does.)
Antonyms
consensus (refers to general agreement within a group, the opposite of a state where dissent is present.)
Collocations
political dissent
|open dissent
|internal dissent
|express dissent
|stifle dissent
|crack down on dissent
Themes
politics
|law
|society
|communication
Examples
- The new law passed, but not without significant dissent from opposition parties.
- Any sign of dissent inside the company is quietly discouraged.
- The government has been accused of trying to silence political dissent.
- There was little open dissent to the leader's strategy at the meeting.
- Strong dissent within the party eventually led to a change in policy.
Learner examples
- There was some dissent about the final decision.
- The leaders do not allow any public dissent.
- She wrote a letter to show her dissent from the plan.
- The students showed their dissent by walking out of class.
- The company does not welcome dissent from its workers.
Verb
formal
C1
action
2
to disagree with official view
to say or show that you do not agree with the main or official opinion, especially in a formal or serious situation.
Usage pattern:
to dissent from [a decision/policy/opinion]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'dissent' without 'from' in formal writing, as in 'she dissented the decision'. The usual pattern is 'dissent from the decision'. Another mistake is using 'dissent' in casual situations where 'disagree' sounds more natural.
Synonyms
disagree (more common and neutral; 'dissent' is more formal and often about official decisions or majority views.)
Antonyms
concur (a formal verb meaning to agree, especially with a judgment or opinion, making it a direct opposite to dissent in formal contexts.)
Collocations
dissent from the majority
|dissent from a ruling
|dissent on this issue
|openly dissent
|publicly dissent
Themes
politics
|law
|society
|communication
Examples
- Several board members dissented from the final recommendation.
- Only one judge dissented from the court's decision.
- Employees who quietly dissented from the policy feared speaking out.
- Three senators dissented on key points of the bill.
- She was the only committee member to dissent from the report's conclusions.
Learner examples
- Two members dissented from the plan.
- I respectfully dissent from your opinion.
- Some students openly dissented from the school rules.
- Only one person dissented from the final choice.
- Many people quietly dissent from the new law.
Noun
technical
C2
entity
3
minority opinion in a court
a written statement from a judge explaining why he or she does not agree with the other judges in a legal case.
Usage pattern:
a dissent in [a legal case]
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize that in legal English, 'a dissent' often refers specifically to a written opinion, not just any disagreement. Another confusion is between 'dissent' (the opinion) and 'dissenter' (the judge who writes or joins it).
Synonyms
dissenting opinion (the more explicit legal term; 'dissent' alone is a shorter form used in legal and news writing.)
Antonyms
majority opinion (the official decision of the court that most judges agree with, which the dissent opposes.)
Collocations
write a dissent
|author a dissent
|issue a dissent
|join a dissent
|in a strong dissent
|Justice [name]'s dissent
Themes
law
|politics
Examples
- In her dissent, the justice warned that the ruling would limit voting rights.
- The court's decision was 6–3, with a sharp dissent from the three liberal justices.
- His dissent argued that the law violated the constitution.
- Legal scholars widely quoted the dissent in later debates over privacy rights.
- The dissent in this case has become more influential than the original majority opinion.
Learner examples
- The judge wrote a long dissent.
- In his dissent, he explained why he disagreed.
- The decision was 5–4, with a strong dissent.
- Her dissent became famous many years later.
- Students read the dissent to understand another view of the case.
Noun
technical
C2
entity
4
religious nonconformity to a state church
not following the official church's rules or beliefs, especially in history.
Usage pattern:
religious dissent from [an established church]
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize this sense is mainly historical or technical and often used with 'religious'. In modern everyday English, 'dissent' usually refers to political or general disagreement, not specifically to religion.
Synonyms
nonconformity (a technical term used especially in British religious history; often overlaps with this sense of dissent.)
Antonyms
orthodoxy (means accepted or traditional religious belief, which religious dissent rejects.)
Collocations
religious dissent
|Protestant dissent
|organized dissent
|tradition of dissent
|Nonconformist dissent
Themes
religion
|history
Examples
- Religious dissent played a major role in the early history of the United States.
- The law was originally created to control dissent from the established church.
- Many communities of religious dissent emerged outside the state church.
- The book traces the growth of Protestant dissent in eighteenth-century England.
- Acts of Parliament were passed to limit public expressions of religious dissent.
Learner examples
- Religious dissent was common at that time.
- Some groups showed dissent from the official church.
- The king tried to stop all religious dissent.
- They studied the history of dissent in that country.
- Laws once punished people for religious dissent.
Grammar
Dictionary form
dissent
IPA
GB/dɪsˈɛnt/
US/dɪsˈɛnt/
Syllables & stress
dis - sent (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (sent)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: dissent
- Plural: dissent
Verb
- Base: dissent
- 3rd Person Singular: dissents
- Present Participle: dissenting
- Past: dissented
Word family
Forms
dissents
verb
dissenting
verb
dissented
verb
Core family
dissenter
noun
Negative and opposite forms
assent
noun C1
Expressions
a note of dissent
1/ə nˈoʊt əv dɪsˈɛnt/
fixed phrase
formal
small sign of disagreement
a small but clear statement that shows someone does not agree, when most people agree.
Examples
- There was only a single note of dissent at the otherwise cheerful meeting.
- A note of dissent came from younger members of the team.
- Her report introduced a quiet note of dissent into the discussion.
brooks no dissent
1/bɹˈʊks nˈoʊ dɪsˈɛnt/
idiom
formal
does not tolerate disagreement
does not allow any disagreement at all.
Examples
- His leadership style brooks no dissent.
- The coach brooks no dissent when it comes to training rules.
- This manager brooks no dissent on safety procedures.
crack down on dissent
1/kɹˈæk dˈaʊn ˈɔn dɪsˈɛnt/
fixed phrase
use force to stop disagreement
to act in a strong and often harsh way to stop people from showing that they disagree with the government or leaders.
Examples
- The government has begun to crack down on dissent ahead of the election.
- Authorities are cracking down on dissent by arresting protest leaders.
- Human rights groups criticized the military for cracking down on dissent.
dissent from the majority
1/dɪsˈɛnt fɹˈʌm ðə məd͡ʒˈɔɹəti/
fixed phrase
formal
oppose the majority view
to disagree with what most people think or have decided.
Examples
- Only two members dissented from the majority.
- He was often willing to dissent from the majority on key votes.
- Judges rarely dissent from the majority in such cases.
dissenting opinion
1/dɪsˈɛntɪŋ əpˈɪnjən/
fixed phrase
technical
judicial opinion in the minority
a written statement by a judge saying why he or she does not agree with the main decision of the court.
Examples
- Justice Lee wrote a powerful dissenting opinion in the case.
- The dissenting opinion argued that the law violated free speech rights.
- Law students were asked to compare the majority decision and the dissenting opinion.
room for dissent
1/ɹˈum fɚ dɪsˈɛnt/
fixed phrase
formal
space to disagree safely
a situation where people are allowed to disagree without being punished.
Examples
- Healthy organizations leave room for dissent and debate.
- There is little room for dissent in that political party.
- The new policy leaves no room for dissent within the ranks.
voice dissent
1/vˈɔɪs dɪsˈɛnt/
fixed phrase
formal
express disagreement openly
to say clearly that you do not agree with something, especially in a meeting or public place.
Examples
- Several members voiced dissent during the discussion.
- Employees who voiced dissent were excluded from the next round of talks.
- Only a few students were brave enough to voice dissent about the policy.
stifle dissent
1/stˈaɪfəl dɪsˈɛnt/
fixed phrase
formal
suppress open disagreement
To stop people from saying that they do not agree, especially in politics or organizations.
Examples
- Critics say the new law is designed to stifle dissent.
- The government used strict rules to stifle dissent among journalists.
- Leaders should listen to concerns, not stifle dissent.
stifle dissent
2/stˈaɪfəl dɪsˈɛnt/
fixed phrase
prevent expression of disagreement
to stop people from saying or showing that they disagree.
Examples
- The new rules are seen as an attempt to stifle dissent on campus.
- Critics say the company is trying to stifle dissent among employees.
- These laws could stifle dissent and weaken democracy.