acquiescence
Americannoun
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the act or condition of acquiescing or giving tacit assent; agreement or consent by silence or without objection; compliance (usually followed by to orin ).
acquiescence to his boss's demands.
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Law. such neglect to take legal proceedings for such a long time as to imply the abandonment of a right.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of acquiescence
Explanation
Acquiescence is an agreement, usually a willingness to go along with what someone else suggests. "Sure, I don't mind," "That sounds like a plan," and "Good idea" — these are all ways to show your acquiescence. The word acquiescence, pronounced "ack-we-ESS-sense," comes from the French word of the same spelling. The first record of its meaning as "silent consent" occurred in the 1640s. Acquiescence, in addition to "agreement," can also mean "acceptance without protest." Often when you offer acquiescence, you give in to another person's plan, perhaps because you are afraid to object or you don't have a better idea of your own.
Vocabulary lists containing acquiescence
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 12–15
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Power Suffix: -escence
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The Things They Carried
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"We are constrained only by the extent that we accept the status quo through acquiescence, complacency, and limited ambition."
From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026
In response, many leaders in the private sector—as well as in philanthropy, media, law and academia—have responded not with criticism, but with acquiescence and accommodation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026
I found something unsettling in their quiet acquiescence: It seemed less like a demonstration of higher principles and more like an act of submission.
From Slate • Jan. 6, 2025
He thought the silence was a sign of complete, not complicity, but of terrified acquiescence to a kind of enslavement, and he was not having it.
From Salon • Feb. 13, 2024
“All right, all right,” he says, making a show of his acquiescence.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
