consensus

noun, often attributive con·sen·sus \ kən-ˈsen(t)-səs \

|Updated on: 11 Jun 2018

Usage guide: Is the phrase consensus of opinion redundant?

Examples: consensus in a Sentence

Definition of consensus

1 a : 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

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See consensus defined for kids

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

There is also no consensus yet about how the site should be memorialized.

— inga saffron, Philly.com, "Queen Village makes room for memorial to a historic African American burial ground," 7 June 2018
Pew researchers say there's no clear consensus among teens on whether these services are good or bad for them.

— CBS News, "YouTube dominates social media use among teens as Facebook fades, survey finds," 1 June 2018
Then this week, in another show of consensus on climate change, a Senate panel passed a measure to ensure federal agencies coordinate on the building of pipelines to transmit carbon emissions for storage or other use.

— The Christian Science Monitor, "A new unity on solutions for climate change," 24 May 2018
The unique thing about the combine is that all 30 teams get to see the same thing at the same time, which regardless of intel or analytics tends to generate some level of consensus.

— jeremy woo, SI.com, "Which Players Without Agents Helped or Hurt Their Stock During the NBA Draft Combine?," 18 May 2018
Despite this, there's still no consensus about the cause of ME, although a viral origin has been suspected.

— megan doherty, Chicago Reader, "ME myalgic encephalomyelitis chronic fatigue syndrome CFS Millions Missing Depaul University CDC," 10 May 2018
When the district last studied school start times, the Board ultimately decided in 2002 to not change school schedules because of a lack of community consensus.

— tegan hanlon, Anchorage Daily News, "2 new start time options unveiled for Anchorage schools," 8 May 2018
No consensus could be reached among athletic directors at the conference schools according to Seven Hills AD Brian Phelps.

— scott springer, Cincinnati.com, "Miami Valley Conference offers Purcell Marian, Roger Bacon football only," 19 Apr. 2018
However, there is no consensus on how to include people of ambiguous gender.

— madhvi ramani, Smithsonian, "Will a New Law Forever Change the German Language?," 28 Feb. 2018

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.