Definition of consensus
1a : general agreement : unanimity the consensus of their opinion, based on reports … from the border — John Herseyb : the judgment arrived at by most of those concerned the consensus was to go ahead
2 : group solidarity in sentiment and belief
Read the Latest from M-W
Is the phrase consensus of opinion redundant?
The phrase consensus of opinion, which is not actually redundant (see sense 1a; the sense that takes the phrase is slightly older), has been so often claimed to be a redundancy that many writers avoid it. You are safe in using consensus alone when it is clear you mean consensus of opinion, and most writers in fact do so.
Examples of consensus in a Sentence
Yet despite this and other dust-ups during the convention, the general consensus is that Episcopalians weathered this one with their customary civility intact. —Antonio Ramirez, Commonweal, 12 Sept. 1997
Despite years of debate over the best wine to serve at Thanksgiving, no real consensus has emerged. —Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator, 30 Nov. 1995
Beyond the general goal of sustainability, there was little consensus at the conference on how to get from here to there. —Constance Holden, Science, 6 July 1990
… it is the consensus of opinion that the Iceni in their geographic isolation remained ‘Celtic’ … —Antonia Fraser, The Warrior Queens, 1988
Everyone on the council seems to understand the need for consensus.
There is a lack of consensus among the citizens.
The decision was made by consensus.
Recent Examples of consensus from the Web
-
The consensus expectation of economists is that the Labor Department will report that employers added 176,000 jobs, according to a survey by FactSet, a data provider.
-
Without a consensus, an announcement that had initially been anticipated on May 20, Cuban Independence Day, never materialized.
-
Where are the grownups to channel the near-consensus of American business and prevent this train-wreck of a decision?
-
Since World War II, there was a broad consensus that the United States was better off being actively engaged with the world through alliances, international organizations and free trade.
-
The Crimson Tide had two consensus All-Americans on its defense that season - ends John Copeland and Eric Curry.
-
At least this year, when a fraying consensus among the world’s leading democracies about how the world should be run was on clear display in Sicily.
-
But environmental groups and city officials have struggled over the last two years to reach consensus on how many nearby acres should be restored to marshland and how they should be configured.
-
The council during a May 22 committee of the whole meeting reached a consensus to spend $11,310 for the purchase and installation of five new racks near the Metra station, located at 100 S. Summit Ave.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'consensus'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of consensus
Latin, from consentire —see 1consent
CONSENSUS Defined for English Language Learners
consensus
playDefinition of consensus for English Language Learners
-
: a general agreement about something : an idea or opinion that is shared by all the people in a group
Learn More about consensus
-
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for consensus Spanish Central: Translation of consensus Nglish: Translation of consensus for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of consensus for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about consensus
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up consensus? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!