accede

Synonym Chooser

How is the word accede distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of accede are acquiesce, agree, assent, consent, and subscribe. While all these words mean "to concur with what has been proposed," accede implies a yielding, often under pressure, of assent or consent.

officials acceded to the prisoners' demands

When can acquiesce be used instead of accede?

While in some cases nearly identical to accede, acquiesce implies tacit acceptance or forbearance of opposition.

acquiesced to his boss's wishes

In what contexts can agree take the place of accede?

The words agree and accede are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, agree sometimes implies previous difference of opinion or attempts at persuasion.

finally agreed to come along

When could assent be used to replace accede?

Although the words assent and accede have much in common, assent implies an act involving the understanding or judgment and applies to propositions or opinions.

voters assented to the proposal

Where would consent be a reasonable alternative to accede?

The words consent and accede can be used in similar contexts, but consent involves the will or feelings and indicates compliance with what is requested or desired.

consented to their daughter's going

When is subscribe a more appropriate choice than accede?

While the synonyms subscribe and accede are close in meaning, subscribe implies not only consent or assent but hearty approval and active support.

subscribes wholeheartedly to the idea

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of accede Groff’s enthusiasm does a lot of work toward carrying Just in Time through the backstory homework, but otherwise the show accedes to the standard beats of a bio-musical. Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2025 Harvard argues the administration is retaliating against it for refusing to accede to demands to control the school's governance, curriculum, and the ideology of its faculty and students. Nate Raymond, USA Today, 5 June 2025 Speakers across the commencement events added their voices to that support, and praised Harvard’s president Alan Garber for refusing to accede to demands from the Administration. Solcyré Burga, Time, 29 May 2025 Eventually, their victims accede to their abusers’ demands; victims know the consequences of refusing and will subject themselves to dehumanizing experiences just to avoid further violence. Elizabeth Geddes, Rolling Stone, 23 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for accede
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accede
Verb
  • Trump tried to get Iranians to agree to a real nuclear deal.
    The Editors, National Review, 22 June 2025
  • Reviewers with fine, thick, curly, and wavy hair all seem to agree: this $1.25 bargain is worth keeping in rotation.
    Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 22 June 2025
Verb
  • The lead lawyer for the plaintiffs, Seth P. Waxman, a solicitor general for the Clinton administration, initially refused, but eventually assented after further criticism from Judge Reyes.
    Chris Cameron, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025
  • China has built Russia’s defense industrial base, helped Iran provide Russia with one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles, and assented as North Korea has sent troops to fight in Europe.
    Kurt M. Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Standing in the way of this dream were the rules of feminine behavior they had been taught to live by, the punishing standards of beauty they were held to, and men’s wholesale refusal to acquiesce to even the most minor of feminist demands.
    Alice Bolin June 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025
  • The Four Circuit panel rebuked Bell’s reasoning, describing as novel and unsupported that a court could compel NASCAR to acquiesce to contractual demands by 23XI and Front Row.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • Then again, the Justices’ unease about whether children and adolescents can genuinely consent to life-altering treatments would be lacking in the case of adults.
    Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 20 June 2025
  • With a filing in State Bar Court on Tuesday, Aaron Spolin pleaded no contest to misconduct involving eight clients, all current or former California prisoners, and consented to the stripping of his law license.
    Harriet Ryan, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Accede.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accede. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

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