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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Things got particularly ugly during 2016 presidential debates when he was asked to defend referring to women as fat pigs and slobs.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
18 Apr. 2025
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Whether that’s primarily on the players for not handling that like professionals, or on Briere for not recognizing the impact that losing Laughton (and, to a lesser extent, Erik Johnson) would have on the group, is up for debate.—
Kevin Kurz,
New York Times,
18 Apr. 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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Book dispute is one of three religious rights cases The case is one of three religious rights cases the Supreme Court is deciding in the coming weeks, and appears likely to be part of a recent trend of the court siding with religious rights advocates.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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Meanwhile, borrowers who have their loans in default should expect to receive an email in the next two weeks asking them to contact the Debt Resolution Group, which helps resolve disputes related to defaulted loans.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Now, with the controversy behind him, Benn has the opportunity to finally face Eubank in the ring.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
26 Apr. 2025
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Despite the controversy, for the Hilton, that doesn't change the imperative to serve.—
Major Garrett,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Leaders who create space for disagreement without judgment build greater trust, psychological safety and strategic cohesion.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
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In video shared by The Associated Press, Grassley faces a room of Iowans who are at times shouting in disagreement about some of the Trump administration's policies.—
Allison Pecorin,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 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 29 Apr. 2025.
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