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assent

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word assent distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of assent are accede, acquiesce, agree, consent, and subscribe. While all these words mean "to concur with what has been proposed," assent implies an act involving the understanding or judgment and applies to propositions or opinions.

voters assented to the proposal

When might accede be a better fit than assent?

The meanings of accede and assent largely overlap; however, accede implies a yielding, often under pressure, of assent or consent.

officials acceded to the prisoners' demands

When is acquiesce a more appropriate choice than assent?

While in some cases nearly identical to assent, acquiesce implies tacit acceptance or forbearance of opposition.

acquiesced to his boss's wishes

When would agree be a good substitute for assent?

The synonyms agree and assent are sometimes interchangeable, but agree sometimes implies previous difference of opinion or attempts at persuasion.

finally agreed to come along

In what contexts can consent take the place of assent?

In some situations, the words consent and assent are roughly equivalent. However, 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 assent?

While the synonyms subscribe and assent are close in meaning, subscribe implies not only consent or assent but hearty approval and active support.

subscribes wholeheartedly to the idea

Examples 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 assent
Verb
Accordingly, in institutions in which China experiences status inequality, the United States should assent to reforms. Rohan Mukherjee, Foreign Affairs, 19 May 2023 Three years ago, the citizenry of Seattle preferred to pick a Republican as their city attorney rather than to assent to the peculiar ideas of Nicole Thomas-Kennedy, who had proposed abolishing jails. The Editors, National Review, 23 May 2024
Noun
Iranians concluded that this public, conservative defection would not have happened without the supreme leader’s quiet assent. Vali Nasr, Foreign Affairs, 29 July 2024 Red’s attitude towards her assent to fame has largely remained the same. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 11 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for assent 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assent
Verb
  • Capitol, however, was morally opposed to leaving any spare change rattling in the kids’ pockets—and the kids agreed.
    Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2024
  • Kristin Chenoweth, who portrayed the good witch in Wicked on Broadway opposite Idina Menzel’s Elphaba, agreed.
    Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • Our military serves the president as the leader and commander in chief of this country, with the acquiescence and the support of the Congress and the American people.
    Connor Donevan, NPR, 20 Nov. 2024
  • Republican Dwight Eisenhower’s election in 1952 resulted in GOP acquiescence in the New Deal’s expansion of federal authority.
    Carl Leubsdorf, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • Understanding that Congress would never have consented to spend that much public money in this manner, the White House has sought at every point to ensure that its conduct was excluded from the customary constitutional processes.
    The Editors, National Review, 24 Oct. 2024
  • This technology poses unprecedented challenges to consent, privacy and image rights.
    Virginie Berger, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • Trump’s Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., meanwhile, is poised to overhaul the FDA and its drug approvals process just as new treatments seek the FDA’s signoff.
    Nina Ajemian, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2024
  • The ordinance was created after two vape shop owners in Westminster’s downtown business zone received violation notices for operating without acquiring proper approval for their shop locations.
    Brennan Stewart, Baltimore Sun, 29 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • There are different types of agreements, but approximately 79% of proceeds from each sale are returned to the partner club.
    Robert Kidd, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024
  • The intensive public battle didn’t start until 1989, when Senna passed Prost at Imola during a restart, breaking what Prost believed to be a gentleman’s agreement.
    Jake Kring-Schreifels, TIME, 29 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • But getting full acceptance from their families may be a lifelong journey.
    Grace Xue, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2024
  • To date, more than 500 such transplants have been conducted in the U.S., a testament to the growing acceptance and success of the procedure.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • This caused widespread concern, leading to numerous calls from voters seeking confirmation that their votes had been counted, according to Navajo Nation Speaker’s Office.
    Arlyssa D. Becenti, The Arizona Republic, 27 Nov. 2024
  • If remains are found on tribal lands, are more than 50 years old or otherwise suspected to be Native Hawaiian, medical examiners contact the Department of Land and Natural Resources' State Historic Preservation Division for confirmation.
    CBS News, CBS News, 27 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • Whether love spells, affirmations or continuous prayer, energy flows where intention goes, and this ultimately has the potential to shape one’s reality.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 19 Oct. 2024
  • The field urgently needs the affirmation that a Nobel Prize would afford.
    Arthur L. Kellermann, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near assent

Cite this Entry

“Assent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assent. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

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