dissensions

noun

variants also dissentions
plural of dissension
1
as in discords
a lack of agreement or harmony religious dissension threatened to split the colony

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disputations
variance of opinion on a matter continued dissension among historians on the exact spot of Columbus's first landing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example 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 dissensions The revolutionaries failed because of their internal dissensions, because of the distrust of Piedmont by the smaller states, because of the Piedmontese distrust of France, and because of the confusion over the role that the papacy should play in the making of Italy. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissensions
  1. discords
  2. disputations
  3. frictions
  4. disputes
  5. schisms
  6. controversies
  7. conflicts
  8. disagreements
Noun
  • Your dedicated Slack channels, private discords and endless Reddit threads.
    — April Uchitel, Flow Space, 6 Aug. 2025
  • In every case, physical science, which is based on the evidence reported by these limited and limiting senses, eventually leaves us stranded with the conviction that sickness, accidents, and disasters – discords of every description, regardless of the apparent cause – are real and inevitable.
    — Lisa Rennie Sytsma, Christian Science Monitor, 20 June 2025
Definition of discords
Noun
  • According to him, advances in machine learning have yanked questions once trapped inside theological/philosophical disputations into corporate board packs.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2025
Definition of disputations
Noun
  • Roosevelt’s patrician upbringing, as well as ties to her husband’s career, led to certain frictions between the two, with Murray consistently urging the First Lady to act on behalf of Black Americans and other oppressed peoples.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Wafula said the role of pastoral ministers is especially important in the modern world, where political frictions often threaten peace in the community.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of frictions
Noun
  • Other disputes are minor, like the three animal rights activists who stole lambs from King Charles’ Sandringham estate.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 3 Oct. 2026
  • In the last year alone, the federal government partially shut down twice for weeks because of partisan disputes in Congress over spending on healthcare and immigration enforcement.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of disputes
Noun
  • But schisms and heel digging are probably inevitable in such uncertain fields, Catling says.
    — Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026
  • This turns into a big argument about Issa being a weird little guy, and suddenly there are multiple potential roommate schisms in the house.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of schisms
Noun
  • The question also raised the recent spread of controversies over individual films into attacks on cast and crew and campaigns to halt screenings.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Fox and its founder, Rupert Murdoch, have faced controversies, scandals and litigation before.
    — David Folkenflik, NPR, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of controversies
Noun
  • Expectations around workload and external factors, including international conflicts and crises, are contributing to these heightened anxieties.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Related Stories Set in Yunlin County on Taiwan’s southwest coast, the film follows two boys whose friendship comes under pressure as adult conflicts divide their community.
    — Lin Ying-Hsuan, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of conflicts
Noun
  • The economy has produced another set of disagreements, particularly over government spending, employment, and social programs.
    — Katie Angell Britannica Editors Oct. 2, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The suit also asserted Vista Grande initiated the ER trips in retaliation for the family's disagreements about Tingley's care.
    — Jordan Rau, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of disagreements

Browse Nearby Words

dissension
dissensions
dissensus
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dissensions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissensions. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All