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
The rapid expansion of psychedelic therapy has surfaced risks, like inadequate facilitator training and questionable consent practices in unregulated settings. Sonia Singh, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025 In 2020, an anonymous woman claimed Jones kissed and groped her without consent at an afterparty for a Cowboys game against the New York Giants in 2018. Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
Callers must consent to a text message link to activate the video stream from their phone's camera. Killian Baarlaer, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Sep. 2025 China’s goal is to induce the people of Taiwan to conclude that resistance is futile and thus consent to unification. Philip H. Gordon, Foreign Affairs, 22 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for consent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for consent
Noun
  • The Death card shows up as sacred permission to shed a layer that no longer serves you.
    Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Reprinted by permission of Scribner, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, LLC.
    Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 1 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
  • Through Congressional authorization, President Calvin Coolidge was featured on the 1926 Sesquicentennial of American Independence Half Dollar alongside George Washington.
    Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Roberts has not had lawful employment authorization since December 2020, according to the complaint.
    Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Government leaders and local experts on transit agree one-way streets, which were intended to make travel faster for commuters heading in and out of downtown, present safety concerns.
    Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 5 Oct. 2025
  • An undercover operation in 2022 revealed that Komarczyk and his associate, Irazmar Carbajal, agreed to move $100,000 of what the FBI believed to be sanctioned money belonging to members of Venezuela’s government.
    Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Consent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consent. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on consent

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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