dissidence
UK/'disidəns/US/'disidәns/
C2
Definitions
n.
Open disagreement with or opposition to an official policy, authority, or established opinion.
异议；对官方政策或权威的公开反对。
Root Breakdown
Root-deriveddis- (apart) + sid (sit) + -ence = 'sitting apart.' Latin dissidēre = to sit away from the group. To disagree is, literally, to take a separate seat — to refuse to sit with the majority.
Root sit still carries 98 more wordsWhy It Means This
The 'sitting apart' image is worth holding onto: a dissident (same root) is someone who literally won't take their assigned seat in the consensus. It pairs neatly with its opposite — to be in agreement is to 'sit together' (compare consider, preside), while to dissent is to 'sit away.'
Example Sentences
- 1.
The regime cracked down hard on any sign of dissidence.
- 2.
Her essay was an open act of intellectual dissidence.