consensus

noun, often attributive

con·sen·sus | \ kən-ˈsen(t)-səs

How to pronounce consensus (audio)

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Definition of consensus

1a : general agreement : unanimity the consensus of their opinion, based on reports … from the border— John Hersey

b : the judgment arrived at by most of those concerned the consensus was to go ahead

2 : group solidarity in sentiment and belief

Synonyms & Antonyms Is the phrase consensus of opinion redundant?: Usage Guide More Example Sentences Learn More about consensus

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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 on the Web None of this may be enough to defeat the Sanders machine or a consensus anti-Sanders candidate. — Rick Klein And, ABC News, "The Note: Bloomberg spends and hacks his way into campaign conversation," 14 Feb. 2020 Even for a consensus top-10 preseason baseball team like Arizona State, things happen. — Jeff Metcalfe, azcentral, "Freshman walk-on pitcher Danny Marshall to start in center field for ASU baseball season opener," 13 Feb. 2020 Decades of aesthetic, social, and political democratizing have collapsed the redoubts of consensus good taste. — Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, "The In-Your-Face Paintings of Peter Saul," 10 Feb. 2020 That’s because that increasing bearishness will reduce the distance between the consensus view and that of the superbears. — Mark Hulbert, WSJ, "Why a Rising ‘Black Swan’ Index Could Be a Sign of Bullishness," 10 Feb. 2020 Mobley opened the season as the consensus No. 1 prospect in his high school class. — Connor Letourneau, SFChronicle.com, "Who could Warriors get with Timberwolves’ 2021 first-round pick?," 10 Feb. 2020 In between, the injury and a season that wasn’t overly impressive statistically eroded his consensus status as a late-first-round pick and made falling all the way into the third round a reality. — Eric Hansen, Indianapolis Star, "Notre Dame DE Julian Okwara ready for NFL Scouting Combine," 9 Feb. 2020 The distance report is awash with the noble language of consensus building, but make no mistake — the USGA and R&A have fired the first shot in a war for the future of golf. — Eamon Lynch, Golfweek, "Lynch: The USGA's distance report is out, and so begins the battle for golf's future," 4 Feb. 2020 Collins is part of a long tradition of centrist, consensus-building Maine Republicans, including Margaret Chase Smith, Cohen and Olympia Snowe. — Author: Griff Witte, Anchorage Daily News, "Republican Sen. Susan Collins finds it’s lonely in the middle," 2 Feb. 2020

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.

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Learn More about consensus

Dictionary Entries near consensus

consensus of opinion

Statistics for consensus

Last Updated

19 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Consensus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consensus. Accessed 24 Feb. 2020.

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