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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

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 consent
Noun
Likewise, minors would be forced to get parental consent before accessing protected online speech. Clare Duffy, CNN, 13 Mar. 2025 Under the new terms, every player becomes a free agent when her contract expires, and no player can be traded without her consent. Doha Madani, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2025
Verb
Apparently, Honda and Nissan had initially consented to a merger arrangement that would have placed the two automakers under a single holding company. New Atlas, 17 Feb. 2025 IndieWire reached out to those named individuals to ask if any of them consented to the use of their likeness in the viral video. Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 12 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for consent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for consent
Noun
  • Defensive end Trey Hendrickson, meanwhile, is the team’s only great pass rusher on an already-iffy defense, and he’s actually been given permission to find a trade partner as he won’t be kept around long term.
    Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Two days after the crash, the owner of the Nissan Altima — Rodger’s aunt — told police that Rodgers had taken the car without permission and was driving it at the time of the crash.
    Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Jordan’s king cannot assent to Mr. Trump’s plan without risking the ire of different important elements of his country’s population.
    Ephrat Livni, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
  • Ramaphosa assented to the law on Jan. 23 after five years of public consultation and parliamentary debate.
    Chad de Guzman, TIME, 7 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • In 2022, immigrants working in the United States without legal authorization paid $25.7 billion in Social Security taxes and $6.4 billion in Medicare taxes, according to a recent analysis from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
    Jane C. Timm, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Their hypothetical rap sheet could begin and end with entering the U.S. illegally, a misdemeanor, or residing in the U.S. without authorization, a civil offense.
    Nelson Mauricio Rauda Zablah, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Green Bay agreed to a one-year deal with Hardman, who spent the majority of his first six NFL seasons with Kansas City.
    Rob Reischel, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
  • As for the question of consent, Iredale said people are allowed to agree to some level of physicality during consensual encounters, but there is a limit.
    Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Consent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consent. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on consent

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