assent

verb as·sent \ ə-ˈsent , a- \

Definition of assent

intransitive verb

:to agree to or approve of something (such as an idea or suggestion) especially after thoughtful consideration :concur

assent to a proposal

—

assentor

or assenter play \-ˈsen-tər\ noun

See assent defined for English-language learners

See assent defined for kids

Examples of assent in a Sentence

One day I arrived at class to discuss some abolition treaties written during the early Romantic period. An African American woman, Stephanie, was introduced to me by one of my students. Stephanie asked if she could sit in on the class, and I of course assented. —Laura Mandell, Profession, 1997
Christopher, on his end, is supposed to have assented to and even welcomed this public confirmation of his own negligibility, not that foreign diplomats needed any. —Tom Carson, Village Voice, 19 July 1994
Fearing that without a new batch of social measures the country would slip away from him, Roosevelt assented—sometimes rather grudgingly—to proposals that in sum make up the semi-welfare state under which we have lived this past half century. —Irving Howe, New York Times Book Review, 28 Sept.1986
The general proposed a detailed plan and the President assented.
are we to conclude from your silence that you assent?

Recent Examples of assent from the Web

Several years after the shoot, Richmond, then 45, assented to Trevor’s request to meet his mom, waiting with Diane for Trevor to come home from school at her apartment on the West Side of Manhattan.

— gil kaufman, Billboard, "Pearl Jam's 'Jeremy': The Untold Story of Video Star Trevor Wilson's Fascinating Life & Tragic Death," 1 Aug. 2017
Pyongyang assented, and preparations were made to bring Warmbier home.

— ishaan tharoor, Washington Post, "The intensifying strangeness of U.S.-North Korea relations," 14 June 2017
As part of the agreement, Hickenlooper also assented to the creation of a task force to make recommendations on future fracking policies.

— mark k. matthews, The Denver Post, "Jared Polis to join crowded 2018 race for governor, tells The Post he wants “a Colorado that works for everybody”," 11 June 2017
Wharton’s publisher, Charles Scribner, assented enthusiastically to the idea, pledging to comp all advertising and commission fees.

— anne trubek, Smithsonian, "Edith Wharton Recruited the World’s Greatest Artists to Raise Money for WWI Refugees," 30 May 2017
Some British leaders express hope that Europe will assent to a deal that allows finance to carry on, even as Britain leaves the single market.

— peter s. goodman, New York Times, "‘Brexit’ Imperils London’s Claim as Banker to the Planet," 11 May 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of assent

Middle English, from Anglo-French assentir, assenter, from Latin assentari, from assentire, from ad- + sentire to feel — more at sense

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First Known Use: 13th century

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assent Synonyms

Synonyms

acquiesce, agree, accede, 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

Synonym Discussion of assent

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

assent

noun as·sent \ ə-ˈsent , a- \

Definition of assent

:an act of agreeing to something especially after thoughtful consideration :an act of assenting :acquiescence, agreement

She gave her assent to the proposal.

Examples of assent in a Sentence

Cornel West of Harvard introduced Bradley as "my brother, my comrade." Then Bradley, donning drugstore reading glasses, standing motionless at the podium, took the air out of the cavernous hall with a lecture on the history of racism and the complexity of ethnic subcultures. He got nods of knowing assent, but he could have had a standing O. —Howard Fineman, Newsweek, 19 July 1999
Appointments at top universities often required the recommendation and assent of experts from other fields; insofar as deans, provosts, and other administrators came from economics and the hard sciences, many of them recognized rational choice as something close to their own ideals of legitimate scientific research. —Jonathan Cohn, New Republic, 25 Oct. 1999
From The Second Sex to In a Different Voice, I could read and appreciate the analysis or the argument without feeling personally very involved. I could, and did, argue for feminism because I believed in much of what feminist writers were saying about gender equality, but my assent came from my head, not my heart. I knew that as an audience for feminist writers I was a pretty tertiary concern. —Robert J. Connors, College English, February 1996
Once filming began, sequences that had been axed for budgetary reasons were put back—with the studio's tacit assent. —Charles Fleming, Vanity Fair, August 1995

Recent Examples of assent from the Web

Should Trump fire Mueller, with the tacit assent of Republicans in Congress and the DOJ leadership, there will be little recourse.

— brian beutler, New Republic, "We’re on the Brink of an Authoritarian Crisis," 21 July 2017
The lyrics eloquently and cleverly discuss Nina’s rapid assent to fame and her feelings of not being able to take it all in at the time.

— sabrina finkelstein, Billboard, "Nina Nesbitt Talks New Single, Songwriting and Being a DIY Female Producer: Interview," 14 July 2017
The assent of the government in Damascus came even though the United States continues to insist that neither Mr. Assad, nor any member of his family, can have a long-term role in the country’s leadership.

— gardiner harris, New York Times, "U.S., Russia and Jordan Reach Deal for Cease-Fire in Part of Syria," 7 July 2017
With the assent of the sheriff, who was facing an election in 2014, the postcard-only policy was abandoned.

— scott herhold, The Mercury News, "John Hirokawa challenges Sheriff Laurie Smith," 11 June 2017
In the end, diplomats said, those compromises were quickly accepted with a pro forma assent at the beginning of a closed-door dinner with leaders.

— michael birnbaum, Washington Post, "Trumps tangle with Europe leads the continent to find partners elsewhere," 2 June 2017
The suit represents mothers of kindergarteners and first graders, including Precious Hughes, who are challenging the state's assent to the sub-par conditions their children learn in.

— safia samee ali, NBC News, "Four African-American Mothers File Lawsuit Against Mississippi for Education Equality," 24 May 2017
House Bill 1336, was originally introduced by its sponsors with a provision requiring a majority of the mineral estate to assent to lease.

— neil ray, The Denver Post, "Back to the drawing board on statutory pooling," 28 Apr. 2017
A small but smart move, that: turn to the guy who’s been wavering and force him to assent.

— anthony lane, The New Yorker, "Theresa May’s American Adventure," 4 Feb. 2017

Origin and Etymology of assent

see ¹assent

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

ASSENT Defined for English Language Learners

assent

verb

Definition of assent for English Language Learners

: to agree to or approve of something (such as an idea or suggestion) especially after carefully thinking about it

ASSENT Defined for Kids

assent

verb as·sent \ ə-ˈsent \

Definition of assent for Students

assented; assenting

:to agree to or approve of something They refused to assent to the new rules.

assent

noun

Definition of assent for Students

:an act of agreeing to or approving of something We mistakenly interpreted their handshake for assent.

Law Dictionary

assent

intransitive verb as·sent \ ə-ˈsent \

legal Definition of assent

:to agree to something especially freely and with understanding :give one's assent

assent

noun

legal Definition of assent

:agreement to a matter under consideration especially based on freedom of choice and a reasonable knowledge of the matter

their mutual assent to the terms of the contract

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Synonym Discussion of assent

assent

Definition of assent

Examples of assent in a Sentence

Recent Examples of assent from the Web

Origin and Etymology of assent

ASSENT Defined for English Language Learners

assent

Definition of assent for English Language Learners

ASSENT Defined for Kids

assent

Definition of assent for Students

assent

Definition of assent for Students

Law Dictionary

assent

legal Definition of assent

assent

legal Definition of assent

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