English Reference
Adjective

dissenting

adj.
C1 Advanced US /dɪˈsɛnɪŋ/ UK /dɪsˈɛntɪŋ/ dis·sent·ing

adj.holding or expressing a different opinion from the majority or from an official group. You use this when someone disagrees with a popular decision.

adj.expressing a different opinion from that held by the majority or an official body. Often used to describe a formal disagreement in a legal or political context.


SIMPLE

The judge wrote a dissenting opinion on the case.

CONTEXTUAL

Despite the board's unanimous public stance, several dissenting voices were heard during the private meeting.

COMPLEX

The final report included a dissenting chapter written by the minority members who felt the proposed environmental regulations did not go far enough to protect local wildlife.

Usage

Typically used attributively before a noun like 'voice', 'opinion', or 'view'.

This was also the year the national security law, which makes illegal a wider range of dissenting acts, officially came into force.

BBC News· 21 Aug 2026

Overall, Marinakis is generally popular thanks to Forest’s success in recent years but his hire and fire attitude when it comes to coaches leads to plenty of dissenting voices.

The Guardian· 20 Aug 2026
This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated