Definition of ACQUIESCED

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 Some people with law enforcement experience think the nationwide push for police reform could lead prosecutors to acquiesce, if the pressure is great enough. — NBC News, "Families seek new investigations into old police killings," 12 Oct. 2020 Some people with law enforcement experience think the nationwide push for police reform could lead prosecutors to acquiesce, if the pressure is great enough. — Denise Lavoie, Star Tribune, "Families seek new investigations into old police killings," 10 Oct. 2020 The president has surrounded himself with a host of people who acquiesce to his every whim. — Washington Post, "The president cares about his image. That’s pretty much it.," 5 Oct. 2020 The silent majority of Zoomers who do not participate in the unrest but who no less believe the fundamental assumptions of, say, Black Lives Matter, and will acquiesce to the organization’s radical demands? — John Loftus, National Review, "Zoomers and the Constitution," 17 Sep. 2020 If needed, the team must acquiesce 100% to their advice. — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "Trapped in a wilderness fire? Here’s how to survive," 10 Sep. 2020 The album’s three-song title suite feels propulsive, but in an alien way, with Cleaver’s beats refusing to acquiesce to a typical four-on-the-floor grid. — Chris Richards, Washington Post, "For these jazz drummers, time is a flat circle (with a skin across the top)," 1 Sep. 2020 Easy or not, everybody at the match, won by Minnetonka, seemed eager to acquiesce. — David La Vaque, Star Tribune, "The prep life, 2020 style: Those who can play, do," 30 Aug. 2020 Gargash advanced that argument in the wake of reports that last week’s UAE-Israel deal included a secret agreement that Israel would acquiesce to such a sale. — Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, "UAE: Israel pact should clear path to F-35 arms deal," 20 Aug. 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.