What does "dissent" mean?

1. (political or religious disagreement) the act of disagreeing with the ideas of a government, a political party, or a religion. 2. (legal opinion) a statement written by a judge who disagrees with the majority of the other judges in a court case. 3. (sports misconduct) showing your disagreement with a referee's decision in a rude or angry way. 4. (to disagree) to publicly disagree with an official opinion or a common belief.

dissent

n. · v.

US //dɪˈsɛnt// UK //dɪsˈɛnt// dis·sent

1 political or religious disagreement (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

the act of disagreeing with the ideas of a government, a political party, or a religion.

the expression or holding of opinions at variance with those previously or officially held, particularly in a political or religious context.

Example

The government tried to stop any dissent by banning public protests.

Example

The regime's attempt to suppress political dissent only served to galvanise the underground movement and attract international condemnation.
2 legal opinion (n.)
C1 Advanced Formal Technical Law

a statement written by a judge who disagrees with the majority of the other judges in a court case.

a formal legal opinion written by a judge or justice who disagrees with the majority decision of the court.

Example

Justice Smith wrote a strong dissent explaining why she thought the law was unfair.

Example

The justice's powerful dissent argued that the majority had misinterpreted the constitutional protections regarding individual privacy.
- dissenting opinion
- concurrence

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3 sports misconduct (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Sport

showing your disagreement with a referee's decision in a rude or angry way.

the act of showing public disagreement with an official's decision in a manner deemed unsporting or disrespectful.

Example

The player was given a yellow card for dissent after shouting at the referee.

Example

The captain was cautioned for dissent after he continued to argue aggressively with the umpire regarding the previous play.
- objection
- backtalk
4 to disagree (v.)
C1 Advanced Formal

to publicly disagree with an official opinion or a common belief.

to withhold assent or to differ in opinion from a majority or an established authority; frequently takes the preposition 'from'.

Example

Only two members of the committee chose to dissent from the final decision.

Example

While the majority of the board supported the merger, several key shareholders chose to dissent, citing concerns over long-term stability.

Origin

From Middle English dissenten, from Latin dissentire (“to differ in sentiments, disagree, be at odds, contradict, quarrel”), from dis- + sentire (see sense).