acquiescent

adjective

ac·​qui·​es·​cent ˌa-kwē-ˈe-sᵊnt 

: tending to accept or allow what others want or demand : inclined to acquiesce

a politician accused of being too acquiescent to the demands of special interests

acquiescently adverb

Synonyms

• nonresistant
• passive
• resigned
• tolerant
• tolerating
• unresistant
• yielding

Examples of acquiescent in a Sentence

The acquiescent girl became a strong assertive woman.

was not as acquiescent about sharing her room as her parents seemed to think she should be

Recent Examples on the Web

Netanyahu appears convinced that his country’s security, along with his own political survival, depends on prolonging the military offensives and keeping both Gaza and Lebanon ungovernable, and therefore acquiescent. —Mohanad Hage Ali, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2024

The young man’s comment was out of line, and my silence felt somehow acquiescent. —Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2024

In the aftermath of Germany’s 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union, which bordered Iran at the time, the U.K. forced Reza to abdicate, replacing him with his more acquiescent eldest son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. —Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Sep. 2024

Society expects brown women to be more acquiescent and passive, and perceives Black women as angry. —Pragya Agarwal, Scientific American, 24 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

acquiesce + -ent variant of -ant entry 2 (or borrowed from Latin acquiēscent-, acquiēscens, present participle of acquiēscere)

First Known Use

1616, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

acquiescent

adjective

ac·​qui·​es·​cent ˌak-wē-ˈes-ᵊnt 

: acquiescing or tending to acquiesce

acquiescently adverb