acquiesce

ac·qui·esce

verb \ˌa-kwē-ˈes\

ac·qui·escedac·qui·esc·ing

Definition of ACQUIESCE

intransitive verb

: to accept, comply, or submit tacitly or passively —often used with in and sometimes with to

Examples of ACQUIESCE

1. They demanded it, and he acquiesced.
2. <apparently the contractor expected me to acquiesce to my own fleecing>
3. … the tender understanding with which he had acquiesced to her wish not to consummate their relationship out of wedlock. —Dorothy West, The Wedding, 1995
4. … he seems to have acquiesced in his Christian Scientist wife's refusal to provide medical care … —Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times Book Review, 17 Dec. 1995
5. The main body of Shi'is, in and around Iraq, accepted 'Abbasid rule, or at least acquiesced in it. —Albert Hourani, A History of the Arab Peoples, 1991
6. He passively acquired the reputation of being a snob, and acquiesced to it … —George V. Higgins, Harper's, September 1984

Origin of ACQUIESCE

French acquiescer, from Latin acquiescere, from ad- + quiescere to be quiet — more at quiescent

First Known Use: 1651

Related to ACQUIESCE

Synonyms: accede, agree, assent, come round, consent, subscribe

Antonyms: dissent

Related Words: adopt, embrace, espouse; abide, bear (with), endure, stand, suffer, tolerate; stomach, swallow, take; bow, knuckle under, relent, submit, succumb, yield

Near Antonyms: rebuff, refuse, reject, scorn, spurn; deny, gainsay

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See Synonym Discussion at assent

Rhymes with ACQUIESCE

ABS, baroness, bitter cress, CBS, coalesce, convalesce, crown princess, DES, decompress, deliquesce, derepress, dispossess, due process, effervesce, effloresce, evanesce, full-court press, gentilesse, granny dress, in-process, inverness, Inverness, less and less, letterpress, luminesce, Lyonnesse, minidress, more or less, nonetheless, obsolesce, otherguess, overdress, pennycress, phosphoresce, politesse, prepossess, preprocess, recrudesce, repossess, reprocess, retrogress, second-guess, SOS, sweaterdress, underdress, watercress, window-dress, word process