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
From the M-W Editors
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
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Trump and several of his Cabinet secretaries have questioned the scientific consensus that global temperatures are rising because of human activity.
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Clearly, there is a long way to go before a consensus is reached on how to prevent another Grenfell from happening.
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After a gunman massacred 35 people in the Tasmanian town of Port Arthur in 1996, a public outcry spurred a national consensus to severely restrict firearms.
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The company reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.48, beating consensus by 10 cents.
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In his one season at UK, Wall was named the USBWA National Freshman of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American.
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Willis also received the Butkus Award as the nation's best linebacker and merited consensus All-American recognition as an Ole Miss senior.
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Council members came to a consensus Tuesday to direct city staff to stop using the glyphosate-containing product that’s used to kill weeds in city parks and areas where the public gathers, such as the Chandler Bikeway, for one year.
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Clearly, even uncontroversial experts on intelligence have not converged on the smackdown kind of consensus on race and IQ that experts on, say, climate change largely have.
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
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: a general agreement about something : an idea or opinion that is shared by all the people in a group
Learn More about consensus
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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
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