acquiesce

Synonym Chooser

How is the word acquiesce distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of acquiesce are accede, agree, assent, consent, and subscribe. While all these words mean "to concur with what has been proposed," acquiesce implies tacit acceptance or forbearance of opposition.

acquiesced to his boss's wishes

When is it sensible to use accede instead of acquiesce?

The words accede and acquiesce can be used in similar contexts, but accede implies a yielding, often under pressure, of assent or consent.

officials acceded to the prisoners' demands

When would agree be a good substitute for acquiesce?

Although the words agree and acquiesce have much in common, agree sometimes implies previous difference of opinion or attempts at persuasion.

finally agreed to come along

When could assent be used to replace acquiesce?

The meanings of assent and acquiesce largely overlap; however, assent implies an act involving the understanding or judgment and applies to propositions or opinions.

voters assented to the proposal

When is consent a more appropriate choice than acquiesce?

While the synonyms consent and acquiesce are close in meaning, consent involves the will or feelings and indicates compliance with what is requested or desired.

consented to their daughter's going

When can subscribe be used instead of acquiesce?

While in some cases nearly identical to acquiesce, 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 acquiesce Butler’s camp is ready to explore greener pastures, which certainly isn’t in Miami past this season, but the Heat are in no rush to acquiesce to his demands. Evan Sidery, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024 Harvey noted that creative figures should not always acquiesce to the CEO. Miles Socha, WWD, 28 Oct. 2024 As a result, rather than acquiescing and acquiring their couture from U.S. merchants as McKinley and his supporters hoped, the wealthy women took a stand. Einav Rabinovitch-Fox / Made By History, TIME, 7 Jan. 2025 The coups failed, but when the military demanded harsher counterinsurgency measures and impunity for its Marcos-era abuses, the Aquino government acquiesced. Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for acquiesce 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acquiesce
Verb
  • In what amounted to a salary dump, the Giants agreed to send left-hander Taylor Rogers to the Cincinnati Reds for minor league reliever Braxton Roxby, a pitcher who signed as an undrafted free agent and had a 5.21 ERA at Double-A Chattanooga last season.
    Andrew Baggarly, The Athletic, 30 Jan. 2025
  • Meg Ryan ‘Finally’ Reunites with When Harry Met Sally Costar Billy Crystal — and Teases Something ‘Iconic’ Coming Both actors agreed Sweeney did the line justice in the commercial.
    Erin Clements, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • By the time the country reluctantly assented to some foreign assistance, the disaster had started to slip from the news.
    Kelsey Piper, Vox, 15 Jan. 2025
  • My dilemma relates not to the legal issue of consent but to whether a 13-year-old has an ethical right to assent to care.
    Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • California law requires all parties in a conversation to consent to being recorded.
    Jenna deJong, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
  • Drivers could not consent to only one feature, the FTC says.
    Jibin Joseph, PCMAG, 17 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Some of them can draw from experience dealing with the first Trump administration: Mexico’s populist president at the time, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, forged a warm relationship with Mr. Trump, and Mexico avoided steep tariffs while acceding to demands to curb migration.
    Simon Romero, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025
  • That will come after both La Liga and RFEF (Spanish FA) have not acceded to change their stance and proceed to re-register both players.
    Pol Ballús, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025

Podcast

Thesaurus Entries Near acquiesce

Cite this Entry

“Acquiesce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acquiesce. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on acquiesce

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!