as in reciprocal
agreed to by the people involved; done with the consent of the people involved
a consensual decision She claims their relationship was consensual.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 consensual
More frequently, someone will provide a consensual image that is then manipulated or spread around without the person’s consent.
—
Emilia Otte, Hartford Courant, 24 Apr. 2026
Prosecutors accused 37-year-old James Strahler of creating more than 700 non-consensual images and videos of adult women and minors, harassing the women with phone calls, messages and online postings.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Investigators located the messages between Villigram and the undercover officer during a consensual search of Villigram’s cellphone, according to the court document.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2026
Report it immediately and be prepared for every move, every smile, every sip of a drink, to be examined for signs that this was, if not consensual, somehow deserved — a gray area of shared responsibility.
—Anita Chabria, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for consensual
Emilia Otte, Hartford Courant, 24 Apr. 2026
Prosecutors accused 37-year-old James Strahler of creating more than 700 non-consensual images and videos of adult women and minors, harassing the women with phone calls, messages and online postings.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Investigators located the messages between Villigram and the undercover officer during a consensual search of Villigram’s cellphone, according to the court document.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2026
Report it immediately and be prepared for every move, every smile, every sip of a drink, to be examined for signs that this was, if not consensual, somehow deserved — a gray area of shared responsibility.
—Anita Chabria, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for consensual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for consensual
Adjective
-
Zelenskyy noted in a post on X that Ukraine would observe a reciprocal ceasefire starting at midnight on Tuesday.—
F. Brinley Bruton,
NBC news,
4 May 2026
-
For decades, Washington projected its sanctions architecture on the assumption that no major counterparty would counterattack with a reciprocal one.—
Steve H. Hanke,
Fortune,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
There’s a lot of mutual mistrust.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
During their lifetimes, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri were reportedly regular collaborators with a healthy mutual respect for each other’s immeasurable musical talents.—
Jon O'Brien,
IndieWire,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
Do not confuse bilateral trade balances with saving-investment imbalances.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
-
Trump has continued to praise the bilateral relationship since returning to the White House, even after his Beijing visit, originally scheduled for March, was postponed due to the early stages of the Iran war.—
Will Weissert,
Fortune,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Consensual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consensual. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
