The term dissenter later came into particular use after the Act of Toleration (1689), which exempted those Nonconformists who had taken oaths of allegiance from being penalized for certain acts, such as for non-attendance to Church of England services.
Udtrykket dissenter ('af en anden mening') kom i brug især efter Act of Toleration fra 1689, som undtog de nonkonformister der havde aflagt troskabed fra sanktioner for ikke at deltage i gudstjenester i Church of England.