CONSENT Synonyms: 83 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

consent 1 of 2

noun

Definition of consent next

as in permission

the approval by someone in authority for the doing of something we had to get our neighbor's consent in order to trim the tree from his side

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

consent

2 of 2

verb

kən-ˈsent

as in to assent

to give or express one's approval (as to a proposal) refused to consent to the marriage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 City Council made the appointment as part of its consent calendar, in which multiple items are approved with a single vote. —

Luke Harold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2025 Europeans are protected in much broader ways, too. Unlike Americans, Europeans are protected from having their personal demographic information, such as their race and political views, collected by tech companies without their consent, thanks to the General Data Protection Regulation. —

Clare Duffy, CNN, 23 Jan. 2025

Verb

Utah’s Social Media Regulation Act added a requirement that parents consent before children can set up an account. —

Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2025 Once the settlement is approved, the company is required to delete any data for children under 13 whose parents haven’t consented to their data being collected. —

Wes Davis, The Verge, 18 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for consent

Recent Examples of Synonyms for consent

Noun

Harvard-Westlake paid more than $40 million for the land in 2021, then had to go through years of community meetings while getting permits and receiving permission from the city to build.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2025
The big picture: The early days of Trump's second administration — as Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) crew execute a hostile takeover of the federal government's digital infrastructure — are giving Washington a crash course in the importance of system permissions.

— Richard Collings, Axios, 4 Feb. 2025