Meanings
plural dissensions · alternative obsolete discention · alternative obsolete dissention
- countableuncountableAn act of expressing dissent, especially spoken.
- countableuncountableStrong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord.
[…]wherby at the last shuld have sourded discention amonge the people, they beinge seperately enclined towarde theyr naturall souerayne lorde[…]
1531, Thomas Elyot, “The Best Governance”, in Ernest Rhys, editor, The Boke Named the Governour […] (Everyman’s Library), London: J[oseph] M[alaby] Dent & Co; New York, N.Y.: E[dward] P[ayson] Dutton & Co, published [1907], →OCLC, 1st book, page 112 more examples
The natural scenery of America has often been contrasted, in its general features as well as in detail, with the landscape of the Old World—more especially of Europe—and not deeper has been the enthusiasm, than wide the dissension, of the supporters of each region.
1843, E. A. Poe, Morning on the WissahicconIn Biblical times the resort to chance was an agreed-upon way of making many decisions because it ended dissension among opposing, often powerful, parties.
1998, Deborah J. Bennett, Randomness, Harvard University Press, page 34f
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna conflict of people's opinions or actions or characters
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindissensio
- Old Frenchdissension
- Middle Frenchdissention
- Middle Englishdissencioun
- Englishdissension
Inherited from Middle English dissencioun, from Middle French dissention, discention, from Old French dissension, from Latin dissensio.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek διχοστασία, διθυμία
- διχοστασία (dikhostasía)an act of expressing dissent, especially spoken
- διθυμία (dithumía)strong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord
Bulgarian разногласие, раздор
- разногласие (raznoglasie)an act of expressing dissent, especially spoken
- раздор (razdor)an act of expressing dissent, especially spoken
- препирня (prepirnja)strong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord
Chinese Mandarin 意见不同, 争执
- 意见不同strong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord
- 争执 (zhēngzhí)strong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord
Czech neshody, neshoda
- neshodyan act of expressing dissent, especially spoken
- neshodaan act of expressing dissent, especially spoken
- rozkolstrong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord
- rozbrojestrong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord
Latin dissensiō, dissensus
- dissensiōan act of expressing dissent, especially spoken
- dissensusstrong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord
Māori waitete
- waitetestrong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord
Romanian disensiune, disensiune
- disensiunean act of expressing dissent, especially spoken
- disensiunestrong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord
Russian разла́д
- разла́д (razlád)strong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord
Spanish disensión, disensión
- disensiónan act of expressing dissent, especially spoken
- disensiónstrong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord
Welsh anghydfod, anghytundeb
- anghydfodstrong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord
- anghytundebstrong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord
- anghytgordstrong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord
Cite this entry
dissension. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dissension
“dissension.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dissension. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dissension,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dissension.
Source: dissension on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.