consent 1 of 2

consent

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word consent distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of consent are accede, acquiesce, agree, assent, and subscribe. While all these words mean "to concur with what has been proposed," consent involves the will or feelings and indicates compliance with what is requested or desired.

consented to their daughter's going

When could accede be used to replace consent?

In some situations, the words accede and consent are roughly equivalent. However, accede implies a yielding, often under pressure, of assent or consent.

officials acceded to the prisoners' demands

When would acquiesce be a good substitute for consent?

The words acquiesce and consent can be used in similar contexts, but acquiesce implies tacit acceptance or forbearance of opposition.

acquiesced to his boss's wishes

Where would agree be a reasonable alternative to consent?

While the synonyms agree and consent are close in meaning, agree sometimes implies previous difference of opinion or attempts at persuasion.

finally agreed to come along

When might assent be a better fit than consent?

The synonyms assent and consent are sometimes interchangeable, but assent implies an act involving the understanding or judgment and applies to propositions or opinions.

voters assented to the proposal

When can subscribe be used instead of consent?

The words subscribe and consent are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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 consent
Noun
Patients must give their consent before the recording begins. Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025 When the Guard remains under state control, governed by Title 32 or State Active Duty status, the president cannot unilaterally deploy it without the governor’s consent. Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
However, Price, 42, consented to a search of her home by the Marshals Service, whose agents found Daniels inside, Holder said. Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025 Both Israel and the United States are not party to the Rome Statute, which is the treaty that established the ICC and have not consented to its jurisdiction. ABC News, 26 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for consent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for consent
Noun
  • The General Assembly has given Mecklenburg County permission to put a referendum on the ballot to raise the county’s sales tax to fund road, rail and bus projects.
    Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Run with permission of the author, courtesy of Bloomsbury Continuum, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • His representatives soon assented to de Moraes’s orders, including taking down the offending accounts and paying the fines.
    Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Equity members have already voted in favor of a strike authorization.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 18 Oct. 2025
  • This practice has led some US lawmakers to push for repealing these authorizations, as Congress looks to wrestle back some authority over war powers and foreign policy.
    Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Licensed psychotherapist Lucas Saiter agreed that a decline in crushes is common in adulthood.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Reasonable people from all sides of the current AI conversation agree that this particular paradigm shift is just different.
    Nick Tzitzon, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Consent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consent. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on consent

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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