Dissident

How to spell dissident

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce dissident

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does dissident mean?

1. nounA person who openly opposes the official policy of a government or organisation.
2. adjectiveDisagreeing with or opposing an established belief, policy, or institution.

Dissident in a sentence

• noun

  The dissident spent years in prison for criticising the regime.

• adjective

  The dissident faction within the party refused to back the leader.

• noun

  As a dissident, she smuggled banned writings across the border.

• adjective

  His dissident views cost him a seat on the committee.

Where does dissident come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin dissidere, meaning literally 'to sit apart', formed from dis- 'apart' and sedere 'to sit'. From sitting physically apart the verb naturally came to mean to stand at a distance in opinion, that is, to disagree. The present participle dissidens, the source of dissident, originally described someone simply 'sitting apart' or holding a differing view. English took the word up in the 1500s and at first applied it to those who dissented in religion, before its modern political sense, a person who openly opposes an official policy or an authoritarian regime, hardened during the twentieth century. The same sedere 'to sit' root sits quietly inside many relatives, including 'reside', 'preside' and 'sediment', and noticing the buried 'sid' (sit) can help you remember the single s in the middle after the doubled ss of dis-.

How the word is built

• dis- (apart)
• sid- (from Latin sedere: to sit)
• -ent (one who does)