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assent

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word assent distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of assent are accede, acquiesce, agree, consent, and subscribe. While all these words mean "to concur with what has been proposed," assent implies an act involving the understanding or judgment and applies to propositions or opinions.

voters assented to the proposal

When might accede be a better fit than assent?

The meanings of accede and assent largely overlap; however, accede implies a yielding, often under pressure, of assent or consent.

officials acceded to the prisoners' demands

When is acquiesce a more appropriate choice than assent?

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

acquiesced to his boss's wishes

When would agree be a good substitute for assent?

The synonyms agree and assent are sometimes interchangeable, but agree sometimes implies previous difference of opinion or attempts at persuasion.

finally agreed to come along

In what contexts can consent take the place of assent?

In some situations, the words consent and assent are roughly equivalent. However, consent involves the will or feelings and indicates compliance with what is requested or desired.

consented to their daughter's going

When can subscribe be used instead of assent?

While the synonyms subscribe and assent 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 assent
Verb
Administration officials demanded an apology from Zelenskyy and assent for a controversial deal to give the U.S. access to valuable Ukrainian natural resources. David Brennan, ABC News, 5 Mar. 2025 The judge did not find an antitrust violation in Google originally buying third-party display-ad firms, with the assent of the Federal Trade Commission under multiple administrations. Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
Putin did not agree to a full ceasefire, which Trump has proposed and which Ukraine had assented to earlier. Joshua Keating, Vox, 18 Mar. 2025 These agreements encourage assenting parties to perform due diligence, helping to identify potential gaps in the data protection chain. Chris Novak, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for assent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assent
Verb
  • The University of Pennsylvania agreed to a resolution with President Donald Trump's administration to keep males out of women's sports and apologize to every woman swimmer who was affected by the presence of trans athlete Lia Thomas in the 2021-22 season.
    Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2025
  • Earlier this year, Kubler settled the SEC’s claims and agreed to pay penalties.
    Sydney Sasser, Charlotte Observer, 1 July 2025
Noun
  • Too many have chosen the politics of non-engagement, which is at best a hair’s breadth away from acquiescence or complicity.
    Kamila Shamsie June 20, Literary Hub, 20 June 2025
  • This long history of the expansion of executive power, often with the acquiescence of the courts, to violate and restrict civil liberties in the name of national security has ultimately brought us to our current situation.
    The New Yorker, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
Verb
  • The justices ruled that the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization’s due process rights are not violated by the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act, which forces them to consent to federal courts’ authority.
    Ella Lee, The Hill, 25 June 2025
  • These include doing skin-sensitivity tests on consenting human volunteers, using human skin, tissues, and cell cultures, and employing perhaps silco models.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025
Noun
  • Then there’s David Ellison, whose Skydance Media is on the verge of winning approval to take over Paramount Global, owned for decades by the Sumner Redstone family.
    Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 2025
  • Switzerland’s medical products authority has granted the first approval for a malaria medicine designed for small infants, touted as an advance against a disease that takes hundreds of thousands of lives — nearly all in Africa — each year.
    Jamey Keaten, Fortune, 9 July 2025
Noun
  • There are still a number of pending cases in which courts haven’t reached any major rulings yet, such as Trump’s defunding of NPR and the government’s agreement with El Salvador to imprison migrants.
    Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
  • The agreement comes during French President Macron symbolic trip to London in a first state visit for any European leader to the UK since the Brexit.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 July 2025
Noun
  • With an acceptance rate of just 0.7% this year, the program is highly competitive and serves as a pipeline for permanent positions.
    Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 7 July 2025
  • The couple, considered icons of the country-western genre, welcomed and adopted five children together: Robin, Dodie, Sandy, Mimi and Debbie. Known for their compassion and acceptance of all kids — their own and others — Rogers and Evans set an example of helping the youth and always being kind.
    Makena Gera, People.com, 6 July 2025
Noun
  • Two more have been recommended for confirmation but are awaiting that vote, and another nominee was rejected by the Senate earlier this year.
    Stacey Barchenger, AZCentral.com, 8 July 2025
  • In 2022, the most recent year data is available in the monitoring report, Ohio had both the highest sightings and confirmations of black bears on record.
    Kaycee Sloan, The Enquirer, 8 July 2025
Noun
  • What started as a playful affirmation craze turned into a global conversation about mindset and the power of expectation.
    Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
  • These lists are signifiers of a certain standard, affirmation that celebrities and artists have tastes that reflect our own.
    Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 24 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Assent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assent. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.

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