consensus
Americannoun
-
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” ( cf. sense)
Explanation
When there's a consensus, everyone agrees on something. If you're going to a movie with friends, you need to reach a consensus about which movie everyone wants to see. Ever notice how people disagree about just about everything, from who's the best baseball player to how high taxes should be? Whenever there's disagreement, there's no consensus: consensus means everyone is on the same page. When you're talking about all the people in the world, it's hard to find a consensus on anything. There are just too many opinions. However, in a smaller group, reaching a consensus is possible.
Vocabulary lists containing consensus
Power Prefix: con-
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100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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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.
Zoom posted adjusted earnings of $1.55 a share for the quarter ended April 30, compared with $1.43 a share last year and beating the $1.42 a share analyst consensus expectation.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
Investors should make financing methane reductions a priority, consistent with the consensus of nearly 200 countries at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
Looking ahead, Walmart expects adjusted EPS for its second quarter of 72 cents to 74 cents, below the current FactSet consensus of 75 cents.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
And it may even mean that there is an emerging anti-war consensus forming across party lines, which would be a massive change in American politics.
From Salon • May 21, 2026
By some mutual consensus, some collaborative song- writing, the piece changes month by month, slowly and predictably.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
