acquiesce

Synonym Chooser

How is the word acquiesce distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of acquiesce are accede, agree, assent, consent, and subscribe. While all these words mean "to concur with what has been proposed," acquiesce implies tacit acceptance or forbearance of opposition.

acquiesced to his boss's wishes

When is it sensible to use accede instead of acquiesce?

The words accede and acquiesce can be used in similar contexts, but accede implies a yielding, often under pressure, of assent or consent.

officials acceded to the prisoners' demands

When would agree be a good substitute for acquiesce?

Although the words agree and acquiesce have much in common, agree sometimes implies previous difference of opinion or attempts at persuasion.

finally agreed to come along

When could assent be used to replace acquiesce?

The meanings of assent and acquiesce largely overlap; however, assent implies an act involving the understanding or judgment and applies to propositions or opinions.

voters assented to the proposal

When is consent a more appropriate choice than acquiesce?

While the synonyms consent and acquiesce are close in meaning, consent involves the will or feelings and indicates compliance with what is requested or desired.

consented to their daughter's going

When can subscribe be used instead of acquiesce?

While in some cases nearly identical to acquiesce, subscribe implies not only consent or assent but hearty approval and active support.

subscribes wholeheartedly to the idea

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 acquiesce As a result, rather than acquiescing and acquiring their couture from U.S. merchants as McKinley and his supporters hoped, the wealthy women took a stand. Einav Rabinovitch-Fox / Made By History, TIME, 7 Jan. 2025 The coups failed, but when the military demanded harsher counterinsurgency measures and impunity for its Marcos-era abuses, the Aquino government acquiesced. Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025 Sitting Bull acquiesced, dressing and coming quietly out of his cabin. Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Dec. 2024 After a few minutes, Ahmed acquiesced and sold a few toy birds. Sonya Rehman, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for acquiesce 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acquiesce
Verb
  • In what amounted to a salary dump, the Giants agreed to send left-hander Taylor Rogers to the Cincinnati Reds for minor league reliever Braxton Roxby, a pitcher who signed as an undrafted free agent and had a 5.21 ERA at Double-A Chattanooga last season.
    Andrew Baggarly, The Athletic, 30 Jan. 2025
  • In 2023, India, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union agreed to establish the India–Middle East Economic Corridor (IMEC) to enhance global trade and counter China's BRI.
    Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 29 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • My dilemma relates not to the legal issue of consent but to whether a 13-year-old has an ethical right to assent to care.
    Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
  • However, the bill's language caused much confusion and gridlock in 2019, leading Parliament to pursue an additional measure, which repealed the 2011 act and instituted the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Bill, which Queen Elizabeth II assented to in March 2022.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 4 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The lawsuit alleges customers were not clearly informed their data was being collected and did not consent to the practice.
    Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report, Fox News, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Utah’s Social Media Regulation Act added a requirement that parents consent before children can set up an account.
    Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • In Florida, state regulators acceded to all the deregulation demands of the insurance industry, and still insurers have been moving out of the state as damage from hurricanes and coastal flooding rise.
    Peter Green, Quartz, 18 Jan. 2025
  • But the government has claimed in court filings that the app has acceded to Beijing’s demands to censor content outside China.
    Adam Liptak, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Acquiesce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acquiesce. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.

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