variants also dissention

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun dissension contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of dissension are conflict, contention, discord, strife, and variance. While all these words mean "a state or condition marked by a lack of agreement or harmony," dissension implies strife or discord and stresses a division into factions.

religious dissension threatened to split the colony

Where would conflict be a reasonable alternative to dissension?

The words conflict and dissension are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, conflict usually stresses the action of forces in opposition but in static applications implies an irreconcilability as of duties or desires.

the conflict of freedom and responsibility

When is contention a more appropriate choice than dissension?

The synonyms contention and dissension are sometimes interchangeable, but contention applies to strife or competition that shows itself in quarreling, disputing, or controversy.

several points of contention about the new zoning law

When might discord be a better fit than dissension?

The words discord and dissension can be used in similar contexts, but discord implies an intrinsic or essential lack of harmony producing quarreling, factiousness, or antagonism.

a political party long racked by discord

When is it sensible to use strife instead of dissension?

Although the words strife and dissension have much in common, strife emphasizes a struggle for superiority rather than the incongruity or incompatibility of the persons or things involved.

during his brief reign the empire was never free of civil strife

When could variance be used to replace dissension?

The meanings of variance and dissension largely overlap; however, variance implies a clash between persons or things owing to a difference in nature, opinion, or interest.

cultural variances that work against a national identity

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dissension Kofi Kingston and Woods had another brief misunderstanding, suggesting some dissension in the ranks may still exist. Brian Mazique, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024 But the carousel has fostered dissension in the military’s ranks and between the military and Prigozhin’s forces, further undermining Russia’s battlefield performance. John Herbst, Foreign Affairs, 24 Feb. 2023 That dissension was on full display after Rep. Mikie Sherrill became the seventh House Democrat to call on Biden to exit the presidential race. Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY, 9 July 2024 With Biden suffering dissension in the Democratic Party ranks (and now with a case of COVID) while Trump is riding a wave of support since his miraculous encounter with a bullet, maybe the ex-president will present a different face tonight. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 18 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for dissension 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissension
Noun
  • Despite moments of discord, ties between North Korea and China are resilient.
    Sungmin Cho, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
  • Foreign powers seeking to influence the outcome — Russia, China and Iran — are circulating fake videos on social media aimed at sowing discord and distrust.
    April Rubin, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • Ties have been at their lowest point in decades amid disputes over trade, technology, Taiwan and Chinese aggression in the South China Sea.
    Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
  • The strike began just over a month after CEO Kelly Ortberg took the helm of the company, which in 2024, had major issues with safety, a plea agreement and settlement for fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, and another labor dispute with its onsite firefighters.
    Megan Poinski, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • The Hot Boys reunion came after numerous delays due to internal strife among the group members.
    Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 4 Nov. 2024
  • Johnson, who was propelled to office with union support, has threatened to fire CEO Martinez over the financial strife.
    Laura Rodríguez Presa, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • Miss Manners notes that this is not a political disagreement, nor a misunderstanding, nor a private thought that was not meant for public consumption, nor a joke gone wrong.
    Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
  • Negotiations have been rife with disagreement when the states have come together, such as in early 2023, when six of the states in the basin united to propose a plan for water conservation.
    Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • In his dissent, Justice John Paul Stevens sounded the alarm of the high court doubting the capacity of state judges to make the right calls on how to handle recounts.
    Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Most in Becker's comment section agree—modern beauty standards are a beast, and social media is feeding it, but some voices are growing more powerful in their dissent.
    Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • 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
  • And yet there is one aspect of the book which was notable: a disputation of the Richard Wrangham's work in Demonic Males.
    Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 22 Apr. 2013
Noun
  • Questions about Gaza conflict for Harris In Michigan, however, Harris faced one other possible hurdle.
    Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, 6 Nov. 2024
  • Early in the war, concerns that the invasion increased the danger of a nuclear detonation or accidental explosion focused on the risk to Ukraine’s four nuclear power plants and Russia’s threats to intentionally escalate the conflict past the nuclear threshold.
    William M. Moon, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • The controversy began Thursday when Moulton spoke with The New York Times and implied that some of the Democratic Party’s policy positions on transgender rights contributed to the election losses of Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats.
    Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
  • Wolk herself responded to the controversy by tweeting a bunch, naturally.
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near dissension

Cite this Entry

“Dissension.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissension. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on dissension

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