MEANING
1. A reasoned expression of disagreement with an accepted opinion, policy, or majority decision.
2. A written opinion by a judge who disagrees with the court’s majority decision.
Use it for
Name explicit disagreement, including a judge’s formal opinion against a majority.Give a character’s opposition a principled, public, or institutional weight.
Words that belong together
- express dissent
- dissenting opinion
- dissent from a decision
- file a dissent
- read the dissent
On the page
Her dissent was calm, but the council could not proceed as if it had not been heard.
The dissent warned that the ruling would weaken privacy protections.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- dissent
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Usage notes
Dissent can mean disagreement generally or a formal judicial opinion; as a verb, “dissent from” means disagree with. Sense 2: In law, a dissent records disagreement with the court’s decision; it is not the binding majority holding.
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