: to accept, comply, or submit tacitly or passively—often used with in or to
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Acquiesce means essentially "to comply quietly," so it should not surprise you to learn that it is ultimately derived from the Latin verb quiēscere, meaning "to be quiet." It arrived in English in the early 1600s, via the French acquiescer, with the senses "to agree or comply" and "to rest satisfied" (this latter sense is now obsolete). An early example of the word acquiesce in the sense of "to agree or comply" can be found in the writings of the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes who, in his 1651 masterpiece, Leviathan, argued that people must subject themselves completely to a sovereign and should obey the teachings of the church. Encouraging his readers to adopt his position he wrote, "Our Beleefe … is in the Church; whose word we take, and acquiesce therein."
assent implies an act involving the understanding or judgment and applies to propositions or opinions.
voters assented to the proposal
consent involves the will or feelings and indicates compliance with what is requested or desired.
consented to their daughter's going
accede implies a yielding, often under pressure, of assent or consent.
officials acceded to the prisoners' demands
acquiesce implies tacit acceptance or forbearance of opposition.
acquiesced to his boss's wishes
agree sometimes implies previous difference of opinion or attempts at persuasion.
finally agreed to come along
subscribe implies not only consent or assent but hearty approval and active support.
subscribes wholeheartedly to the idea
Example Sentences
… the tender understanding with which he had acquiesced to her wish not to consummate their relationship out of wedlock. Dorothy West, The Wedding, 1995… he seems to have acquiesced in his Christian Scientist wife's refusal to provide medical care … Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times Book Review, 17 Dec. 1995The main body of Shi'is, in and around Iraq, accepted 'Abbasid rule, or at least acquiesced in it. Albert Hourani, A History of the Arab Peoples, 1991He passively acquired the reputation of being a snob, and acquiesced to it … George V. Higgins, Harper's, September 1984 They demanded it, and he acquiesced. apparently the contractor expected me to acquiesce to my own fleecing See More
Recent Examples on the WebThe effort failed when two moderate Democrats refused to acquiesce in changing Senate rules. Eli Stokolsstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2022 Management had to acquiesce to their demands or risk losing them to a competitor. Jack Kelly, Forbes, 19 July 2022 In Clark’s symbolic writing system, specific words and phrases acquiesce to the overpowering whole. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 8 July 2022 Only after Leon Jaworski, the Watergate special prosecutor, prevailed in the Supreme Court did Nixon acquiesce, resulting in his resignation on Aug. 9, 1974.New York Times, 17 June 2022 Unlike Afghanistan, where rebel forces were able to base themselves in neighboring Pakistan, Mr. Putin will never acquiesce to the existence of sanctuaries and support for Ukrainian insurgents in neighboring states, including NATO members. Zalmay Khalilzad, WSJ, 16 Mar. 2022 On numerous occasions, they were given reasons to acquiesce and set their sights on a title in 2023, only to take their play to new heights. Connor Letourneau, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 June 2022 Chang-Díaz refers to the episode as evidence of her willingness to represent the voice of low-income residents and communities of color, and not acquiesce to legislative leadership’s demands. Matt Stout, BostonGlobe.com, 1 June 2022 Nurses are also pushing for what is effectively a new tax on health care providers who don’t acquiesce to union organizing campaigns. Patrick Gleason, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from French acquiescer, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Latin acquiēscere "to rest, find peace, be satisfied (with)," from ad-ad- + quiēscere "to repose, be quiet" — more at quiescent