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.
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Recent Examples of consensual
Trump has previously supported measures like the Take It Down Act, which targets the non-consensual sharing of intimate images.
—
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 Mar. 2026
Men, compared with women, however, and people who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual were more likely to have previously engaged in consensual nonmonogamy, according to the study.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Defense argues claims are prejudicial In Snow's 2025 Gallatin County trial, which ended in a mistrial, his attorneys argued the 2020 encounter at issue had been consensual and said there was no DNA evidence or eyewitness corroboration.
—Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Mar. 2026
And in one of Fennell’s wildest edits, pure-hearted girl next door Isabella Linton (Alison Oliver) becomes a scary-horny savant à la Emma Stone in Poor Things, with a fabulous voodoo dollhouse and a questionably consensual taste for S&M.
—Anna Gaca, Pitchfork, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for consensual
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 Mar. 2026
Men, compared with women, however, and people who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual were more likely to have previously engaged in consensual nonmonogamy, according to the study.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Defense argues claims are prejudicial In Snow's 2025 Gallatin County trial, which ended in a mistrial, his attorneys argued the 2020 encounter at issue had been consensual and said there was no DNA evidence or eyewitness corroboration.
—Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Mar. 2026
And in one of Fennell’s wildest edits, pure-hearted girl next door Isabella Linton (Alison Oliver) becomes a scary-horny savant à la Emma Stone in Poor Things, with a fabulous voodoo dollhouse and a questionably consensual taste for S&M.
—Anna Gaca, Pitchfork, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for consensual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for consensual
Adjective
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The dialogue can even be reciprocal, Lucia said, with actors contributing suggestions about movement or camera angles.—
Emily Maskell,
IndieWire,
3 Apr. 2026
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To take ecology seriously in art is not to retreat from circulation, but to insist that circulation be reciprocal, responsible, and capable of resisting the monocultures—economic, cultural, and political—that continue to shape the present.—
Manuela Moscoso,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The two showed a mutual respect for one another.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Whale lusts after a hunky gardener (Brendan Fraser) and persuades him to pose for a few sketches; Julian, though bisexual, expresses no such interest in Lori, and any art-making turns out to be a gratifyingly mutual endeavor.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The two countries agreed in January to draw down bilateral trade barriers on Chinese electric vehicles and Canadian agricultural products, respectively.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Mar. 2026
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Still, Beijing retains structural advantages as the DRC’s biggest bilateral creditor, and Chinese firms, which already dominate cobalt and copper production, are now looking to other critical minerals.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Consensual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consensual. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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