Definition of ACQUIESCE

Choose the Right Synonym for acquiesce

assent, consent, accede, acquiesce, agree, subscribe mean to concur with what has been proposed. assent implies an act involving the understanding or judgment and applies to propositions or opinions. voters assented to the proposal consent involves the will or feelings and indicates compliance with what is requested or desired. consented to their daughter's going accede implies a yielding, often under pressure, of assent or consent. officials acceded to the prisoners' demands acquiesce implies tacit acceptance or forbearance of opposition. acquiesced to his boss's wishes agree sometimes implies previous difference of opinion or attempts at persuasion. finally agreed to come along subscribe implies not only consent or assent but hearty approval and active support. subscribes wholeheartedly to the idea

Did You Know?

Acquiesce means essentially "to comply quietly," so it should not surprise you to learn that it is ultimately derived from the Latin verb quiescere, meaning "to be quiet." It arrived in English around 1620, via the French acquiescer, with the now obsolete sense "to rest satisfied." The earliest known recorded use of the word acquiesce in the sense of "to agree or comply" appeared in the writings of the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes in 1651. In his masterpiece Leviathan, Hobbes argued that people must subject themselves completely to a sovereign and should obey the teachings of the church. Encouraging his readers to adopt his position he wrote, "Our Beleefe . . . is in the Church; whose word we take, and acquiesce therein."

Examples of acquiesce in a Sentence

… the tender understanding with which he had acquiesced to her wish not to consummate their relationship out of wedlock. — Dorothy West, The Wedding, 1995 … 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 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 He passively acquired the reputation of being a snob, and acquiesced to it … — George V. Higgins, Harper's, September 1984 They demanded it, and he acquiesced. apparently the contractor expected me to acquiesce to my own fleecing

Recent Examples on the Web Without it our nation will either again turn a deaf ear to the struggles of black people or thoughtlessly acquiesce to whatever impassioned political programs present themselves in black America’s name. — John Wood Jr., WSJ, "Black Lives Can Be Very Different," 17 June 2020 Faced with the likelihood of lawsuits, the NFL acquiesced in late February and allowed juniors to enter the draft. — Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, "Keith McCants’ road from No. 1 NFL draft prospect to cautionary tale," 22 Apr. 2020 But the practice ended about the time the Mexican federal government—under intense pressure to avoid US tariffs—acquiesced to receiving the throngs of asylum seekers being returned to Mexico under the Migrant Protection Protocols. — Lourdes Medrano/undark, Popular Science, "Migrants don’t carry more viruses than anyone else," 27 Apr. 2020 So far, protesters seemed to have acquiesced to the demand, with the streets of Algiers reportedly empty. — Max De Haldevang, Quartz, "Coronavirus has crippled global protest movements," 1 Apr. 2020 But three of the four prosecutors threatened to quit the case, so Mr. Shea acquiesced until Mr. Barr and the deputy attorney general, Jeffrey A. Rosen, overruled him on Tuesday. — Ben Protess, New York Times, "After Stone Case, Prosecutors Say They Fear Pressure From Trump," 12 Feb. 2020 But Asians who acquiesce to strictly controlled politics now may want more freedom in the future. — Gerard Gayou, WSJ, "‘The Future Is Asian’ Review: Global Power Shifting East," 11 Feb. 2019 The new sanctions suggest that his administration has acquiesced to pressure from lawmakers. — Nash Jenkins, Time, "What to Know About Trump's New Sanctions Against Russia," 6 Apr. 2018 During the Saturday night dinner rush, a female customer seated with a black server reportedly requested a white server instead, a demand to which managers reportedly acquiesced. — Isaiah Seibert, USA TODAY, "Olive Garden customer reportedly refused service from a 'colored' server and the manager complied," 5 Mar. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'acquiesce.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.