Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- a person who dissents.
adjective
- disagreeing or dissenting, as in opinion or attitude: a ban on dissident magazines.
adjective
- disagreeing; dissenting
noun
- a person who disagrees, esp one who disagrees with the government
1530s, from Latin dissidentem (nominative dissidens), present participle of dissidere “to be remote; disagree, be removed from,” literally “to sit apart,” from dis- “apart” (see dis-) + sedere “to sit” (see sedentary).
1766, in reference to Protestants, from dissident (adj.). In the political sense first used 1940, coinciding with the rise of 20c. totalitarian systems, especially with reference to the Soviet Union.