as in debate
variance of opinion on a matter
a democracy relies on dissensus as much as on consensus
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Recent Examples of dissensus
These dramas of politics — each involving the high court’s first black justice — arrive at a singularly contentious political moment in an atmosphere of angry, sometimes violent dissensus.
—
Manohla Dargis and A.o. Scott, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2017
Manohla Dargis and A.o. Scott, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissensus
Noun
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The future of the square has been a subject of heated debate.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
25 May 2025
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After a lengthy debate, the three moderates picked up two votes in their effort to delay those changes, not enough to win the day.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2025
Noun
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Jake is a single father who has brought Kristen up in the severe Calvinist tradition, marked by Bible disputations of Talmudic intricacy and by a radical detachment from secular and popular culture.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2023
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Seven decades later, this culture of disputation emerged as a central theme in Timothy Garton Ash’s The Magic Lantern, his eyewitness report on the Eastern European revolutions of 1989.—
Susie Linfield,
The New York Review of Books,
11 May 2022
Noun
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Lee-Gardner became involved in the dispute and is accused of hitting the homeowner in her head with a pistol.—
Mike Stunson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 May 2025
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This dispute is one of several signs revealing a worsening relationship between the two leaders, reflecting broader disagreements on Iran, regional conflicts, economic policy, and diplomatic priorities.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
Noun
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However, California is far from the only state that saw its girls' track and field championships overshadowed by trans athlete controversy.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2025
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Salgado’s pictures were also freighted with their fair share of controversy.—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
31 May 2025
Noun
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The suit recounts numerous comments made by Trump and the White House attacking PBS’ content, to underscore the point that the defunding is motivated by disagreement over speech.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
30 May 2025
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The question – at the center of disagreements over transgender athletes’ participation in sports – has echoed from high school running tracks to Olympic arenas as lawmakers and sports bodies face intense pressure to weigh in on a debate over what fair play looks like.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
29 May 2025
Noun
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Barby Rodriguez, the Chief of Staff at the Clerk of Courts and Comptroller, said that as of this morning, the sheriff’s office has filed 1,364 contestations in the statewide E-Filing portal.—
Clara-Sophia Daly,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2025
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There may be more give-and-take within the Beijing-Moscow-Washington triangle, more concessions on small points, and more openness to negotiation and to confidence-building measures in zones of war and contestation.—
Michael Kimmage,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dissensus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissensus. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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