Definition of ACQUIESCED (original) (raw)
: to accept, comply, or submit tacitly or passively —often used with in or to
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If you’re looking to give your speech a gentle, formal flair, don't give acquiesce the silent treatment. Essentially meaning "to comply quietly," acquiesce has as its ultimate source the Latin verb quiēscere, "to be quiet." (Quiet itself is also a close relation.) Quiēscere can also mean "to repose," "to fall asleep," or "to rest," and when acquiesce arrived in English via French in the early 1600s, it did so with two senses: the familiar "to agree or comply" and the now-obsolete "to rest satisfied."
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for acquiesce
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
Examples of acquiesce in a Sentence
… 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. 1995 The 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, 1991 He 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
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Sitting Bull acquiesced, dressing and coming quietly out of his cabin. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Dec. 2024 After a few minutes, Ahmed acquiesced and sold a few toy birds. —Sonya Rehman, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024 The banks acquiesced; instead of four billion dollars, California got twenty billion. —Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024 Worse, the Biden administration seems to have basically acquiesced to the current state of affairs in the Red Sea. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for acquiesce 
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
First Known Use
1613, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of acquiesce was in 1613
Dictionary Entries Near acquiesce
Cite this Entry
“Acquiesce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acquiesce. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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Last Updated: 26 Dec 2024 - Updated example sentences
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