consensus
Americannoun
plural
consensuses-
majority of opinion.
The consensus of the group was that they should meet twice a month.
-
general agreement or concord; harmony.
noun
Usage
Many say that the phrase consensus of opinion is redundant and hence should be avoided: The committee's statement represented a consensus of opinion. The expression is redundant, however, only if consensus is taken in the sense “majority of opinion” rather than in its equally valid and earlier sense “general agreement or concord.” Criticism of consensus of opinion has been so persistent and widespread that the phrase, even though in common use, occurs only infrequently in edited formal writing. The phrase general consensus is objected to for similar reasons. Consensus is now widely used attributively, especially in the phrase consensus politics.
Since consensus refers to a collective opinion, the words of opinion in the phrase consensus of opinion are redundant and should therefore be avoided
Etymology
Origin of consensus
First recorded in 1850–55; from Latin, from consentīre “to be in agreement, share a feeling,” from con- con- + sentīre “to feel” ( sense )
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.
The consensus on Wall Street is for adjusted earnings of $2.69 a share and sales of $23.6 billion in the first quarter, the latter representing an 8% jump from the same period last year.
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
But adjusted earnings per share, which excludes nonrecurring items, such as market-to-market adjustments on investments and settlements on fuel hedges, rose to 64 cents from 45 cents, and beat the FactSet consensus of 58 cents.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026
Goldberg wrote that Broadcom could get drawn into helping finance customers and that the company’s gains have been “fully factored into consensus now.”
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
Google-parent Alphabet and Facebook-parent Meta Platforms are expected to generate a combined $334 billion in cash from operations this year, according to consensus estimates from FactSet.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
But there is broad consensus about what an optimal range of mobility is.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
