consent 1 of 2

consent

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word consent distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of consent are accede, acquiesce, agree, assent, and subscribe. While all these words mean "to concur with what has been proposed," consent involves the will or feelings and indicates compliance with what is requested or desired.

consented to their daughter's going

When could accede be used to replace consent?

In some situations, the words accede and consent are roughly equivalent. However, accede implies a yielding, often under pressure, of assent or consent.

officials acceded to the prisoners' demands

When would acquiesce be a good substitute for consent?

The words acquiesce and consent can be used in similar contexts, but acquiesce implies tacit acceptance or forbearance of opposition.

acquiesced to his boss's wishes

Where would agree be a reasonable alternative to consent?

While the synonyms agree and consent are close in meaning, agree sometimes implies previous difference of opinion or attempts at persuasion.

finally agreed to come along

When might assent be a better fit than consent?

The synonyms assent and consent are sometimes interchangeable, but assent implies an act involving the understanding or judgment and applies to propositions or opinions.

voters assented to the proposal

When can subscribe be used instead of consent?

The words subscribe and consent are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, subscribe implies not only consent or assent but hearty approval and active support.

subscribes wholeheartedly to the idea

Examples 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 consent
Noun
Your healthcare providers may check your vital signs and ask you to sign a consent form before your test. Qin Rao, Verywell Health, 1 Nov. 2024 Willems started by getting the consent of new parents to ogle the scalps of their newborns. Bethany Brookshire, Scientific American, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
The person targeted by the deepfake did not consent; neither did the masses of anonymous others whose bodies taught a computational model how to make a plausible simulacrum of nakedness. Ben Tarnoff, The New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2024 This is vital for ensuring that patients understand and consent to how AI influences their care. Hessie Jones, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for consent 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for consent
Noun
  • America has to negotiate permissions with receiving countries.
    Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 5 Nov. 2024
  • This is kind of what Meta is now letting military contractors do with Llama in the U.S., only without its permission.
    David Meyer, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • When Nguyen assented, the man pledged to vote for him, no questions asked.
    Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
  • Sigrid Nunez’s The Friend (2018) and Lisa Halliday’s Asymmetry (2018) asked whether a woman can assent to her subjugation.
    Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 10 Aug. 2024
Noun
  • In June the Biden administration implemented an executive order restricting asylum and imposed stricter consequences for those who cross without authorization.
    Kristen Taketa, The Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2024
  • The company maintains a share repurchase program with approximately $2,297 million in Board authorization remaining as of October 31, 2024.
    Quartz Bot, Quartz, 7 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • No one who hurls their guts up the previous night would knowingly agree to ride in a 12-passenger van hugging the cliffside of this narrow two-lane road, navigating hairpin turns on switchbacks that drop more than 2,500 feet into Red Rock Country.
    Erin Strout, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024
  • Garrett Nelson, analyst with CFRA Research, agreed.
    CNN.com, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near consent

Cite this Entry

“Consent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consent. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on consent

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