consent

[kuhn-sent]

verb (used without object)

1. to permit, approve, or agree; comply or yield (often followed by to or an infinitive).

   He consented to the proposal. We asked her permission, and she consented.

2. Archaic.,  to agree in sentiment, opinion, etc.; be in harmony.

noun

1. permission, approval, or agreement; sanction; acquiescence.

   He gave his consent to the marriage.

   Synonyms: concurrence, accord

2. agreement in sentiment, opinion, a course of action, etc..

   By common consent he was appointed official delegate.

3. Archaic.,  accord; concord; harmony.

consent

/ kənˈsɛnt /

verb

1. to give assent or permission (to do something); agree; accede

2. obsolete,  (intr) to be in accord; agree in opinion, feelings, etc

noun

1. acquiescence to or acceptance of something done or planned by another; permission

2. accordance or harmony in opinion; agreement (esp in the phrase with one consent )

3. the lowest age at which the law recognizes the right of a person to consent to sexual intercourse

Other Word Forms

• consenter noun
• consentingly adverb
• nonconsent noun
• nonconsenting adjective
• preconsent noun
• reconsent verb (used without object)
• unconsenting adjective
• consenting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of consent¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb consenten, concenten, from Anglo-French, Old French consentir, from Latin consentīre “to join or share a feeling; concur”; noun derivative of the verb; consensus

Word History and Origins

Origin of consent¹

C13: from Old French consentir, from Latin consentīre to feel together, agree, from sentīre to feel

Synonym Study

See agree.

Example Sentences

OpenAI, which faced a fierce blowback in Hollywood last month as images of celebrities and dead newsmakers were manipulated without consent, is now drawing more scrutiny over its practices.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The new bill will make this argument more tenuous, as it says that consent must be "free and informed, specific, prior and revocable",

Read more on BBC

“They must receive your explicit, willing consent to these changes, otherwise this legally-binding contract may be deemed invalid and ineffective,” it says.

Read more on MarketWatch

Videos used for training data, he said, won’t be accessible to employees without your consent.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

And that agenda increasingly appears to be the end of free and fair elections, while maintaining the appearance of them — the classic authoritarian way of ruling with the seeming consent of the people.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• acquiescence 
• approval 
• assent 
• authorization 
• blessing 
• compliance 
• concurrence 
• go ahead 
• permission 
• permit 
• sanction 
• understanding