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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
What was meant to be the final draft of the MOU had already been approved by the St. Hope board and signed by Interim Superintendent Elisha Parsons before being placed on the meeting’s consent agenda, which usually includes a number of non-controversial agenda items that don’t require discussion. Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 6 June 2025 Rights to her catalog—including hugely successful albums like Fearless, Red, and 1989—were purchased by a music industry mogul without her consent in June 2019. Time, 5 June 2025
Verb
Per our Constitution, a gift to a federal official can be accepted only if Congress consents. Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2025 Having heard a rumor that her nephew Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth are engaged, Lady Catherine descends upon the Bennet family home to extract a promise that Elizabeth is not—and will never consent to be—affianced to Mr. Darcy. Natalie Jenner may 6, Literary Hub, 6 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for consent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for consent
Noun
  • In entertainment, one of the more significant proposals is the No Fakes Act, which would give individuals a right to control their digital likeness, meaning that content creators would need permission to recreate celebrities and anyone else using AI.
    Ted Johnson, Deadline, 5 June 2025
  • National Donut Day, which comes around annually on the first Friday of June, isn't just promotional permission to partake in pastries – the celebration has some historical heft.
    Mike Snider, USA Today, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • The lead lawyer for the plaintiffs, Seth P. Waxman, a solicitor general for the Clinton administration, initially refused, but eventually assented after further criticism from Judge Reyes.
    Chris Cameron, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025
  • 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
Noun
  • The government is also now appealing to the public to help find and deport people in the country without authorization.
    Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
  • UniCredit has built a surprise stake in Commerzbank of 28% since September through derivatives and has the European Central Bank's authorization to hold up to 29.9% in the lender.
    Chloe Taylor,Jenni Reid,Ganesh Rao,Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 11 June 2025
Verb
  • In the polls, men and women agreed about what constituted harassment.
    Karlyn Bowman, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • Voices Hiltzik: Trump and Vance are dead wrong — economists unanimously agree that U.S. tariffs are a tax on American consumers Sept. 4, 2024 Trump’s tariff orders betray the same inattention to detail.
    Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Consent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consent. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on consent

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