Contrariety of opinion; refusal to agree with something already stated or adjudged or to an act previously performed.
The term is most commonly used In American law to denote the explicit disagreement of one or more judges of a court with the decision passed by the majority upon a case before them. In such event, the non-concurring Judge is reported as “dissenting.” Dissenting opinion. The opinion in which a judge announces his dissent from the conclusions held by the majority of the court and expounds his own views.