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Definition of consentnext

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
Beyond employment concerns, the rise of AI microdramas has sparked issues for creatives around consent. Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026 Still, Judge already exerted control by avoiding a rehab assignment; a club, according to the collective bargaining agreement, can not impose one on a player without his consent. Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
Take the man behind the quote, Samir (Malik Elassal), who’s introduced as an aspiring FinTech bro in the middle of making amends for sleeping with a woman who was too drunk to consent. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2026 Nobody in your client meeting consented to a review queue on another continent. Jason Walker Psyd, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for consent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for consent
Noun
  • With permission turned on, OlloBot says the SS1 can recognize moments such as laughter or celebrations and capture them automatically.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026
  • In 1971, for instance, eighty-six per cent of English elementary-school children had permission to walk home from school alone; that number dropped to thirty-five per cent in 1990, and to twenty-five per cent in 2010.
    Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • False endorsement and misappropriation, FanDuel could insist, are inapplicable to a personalized video setting where the video’s talent voluntarily assents in exchange for compensation.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 July 2026
  • Their mothers assented because anything the cousins did together could be considered family time.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 June 2026
Noun
  • The Army Corps hopes to receive congressional authorization in 2028, with the construction window estimated to begin in 2032.
    Sarah Perkel, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Zero-trust measures can support continuous authentication and authorization for every agent action, while capabilities like policy as code can enforce deterministic execution and create machine-readable guardrails.
    Ismail Amla, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Democratic and Republican voters agree that the American public should decide the future of AI development, not billionaires in Silicon Valley, according to new polling shared first with Semafor.
    Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Last month, Frasers agreed to purchase Harvey Nichols out of administration.
    Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Consent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consent. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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