acquiesce - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (2024)

Borrowed from Middle French acquiescer, from Latin acquiescō; ad + quiescō (“I rest”), from quies (“rest”).

• IPA^(key): /ˌækwiˈɛs/

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acquiesce (third-person singular simple present acquiesces, present participle acquiescing, simple past and past participle acquiesced)

1. (intransitive, with in (or sometimes with, to)) To rest satisfied, or apparently satisfied, or to rest without opposition and discontent (usually implying previous opposition or discontent); to accept or consent by silence or by omitting to object.

   • 1799, Thomas Jefferson, The Kentucky Resolution of 1799:

     The representatives of the good people of this commonwealth in general assembly convened, having maturely considered the answers of sundry states in the Union, to their resolutions passed at the last session, respecting certain unconstitutional laws of Congress, commonly called the alien and sedition laws, would be faithless indeed to themselves, and to those they represent, were they silently to acquiesce in principles and doctrines attempted to be maintained in all those answers, that of Virginia only excepted.

   • 1846, Thomas De Quincey, “On Christianity, as an Organ of Political Movement”, in Tait's Magazine:

     They were compelled to acquiesce in a government which they did not regard as just.

   • 1847 December, Ellis Bell [pseudonym; Emily Brontë], Wuthering Heights:[…], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Thomas Cautley Newby,[…], →OCLC:

     Cathy was a powerful ally at home; and between them they at length persuaded my master to acquiesce in their having a ride or a walk together about once a week, under my guardianship, and on the moors nearest the Grange: for June found him still declining.

   • 1861 March 4, Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural Address:

     If a minority, in such case, will secede rather than acquiesce, they make a precedent which, in turn, will divide and ruin them; for a minority of their own will secede from them whenever a majority refuses to be controlled by such minority.

   • 1982 December 4, Rob Kaplan, “Life in the Last Days”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 20, page 12:

     "They" might be ruining the world, but Mitchell's characters, by doing nothing but bitching, are only acquiescing in that ruin, and that is a luxury that neither they — nor we — can afford.

2. (intransitive) To concur upon conviction; to assent to; usually, to concur, not heartily but so far as to forbear opposition.

   to acquiesce in an opinion

   • 1794, Charlotte Smith, chapter 16, in The Banished Man, volume II:

     I entirely acquiesce in all the observations you make in your letter; they are worthy of your heart and understanding;

   • 1891, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Speckled Band:

     I may be forced to acquiesce in these recent developments, but I can hardly be expected to make merry over them.

   • 2009, Dan Brown, chapter 70, in The Lost Symbol, →ISBN:

     Langdon could tell there would be no deterring her and so he acquiesced, turning his attention back to the pyramid.

   • 2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club‎^[1]:

     The episode also opens with an inspired bit of business for Homer, who blithely refuses to acquiesce to an elderly neighbor’s utterly reasonable request that he help make the process of selling her house easier by wearing pants when he gallivants about in front of windows, throw out his impressive collection of rotting Jack-O-Lanterns from previous Halloweens and take out his garbage, as it’s attracting wildlife (cue moose and Northern Exposure theme song).

   • 2014 November 26, CM Punk, “Episode 226: CM Punk” (1 hour 5 minutes 50 seconds from the start), in Art of Wrestling‎^[2]:

     So I acquiesce, I say "alright, I'll work Ryback", and I go up to Ryan, "hey man, clean slate"

   • 2023 March 8, Christian Wolmar, “Labour passes up the chance to deliver a forceful rail policy”, in RAIL, number 978, page 35:

     The job of His Majesty's Opposition - especially as election time looms - is to provide well-worked-out alternatives to government plans, not to acquiesce in what could prove to be a disastrous policy for rail passengers.

• (rest satisfied): submit, yield
• (concur upon conviction): accept tacitly, go along with; agree, assent, comply, concur, See also Thesaurus:acquiesce

• “acquiesce”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

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• Rhymes: -ɛs

acquiesce

1. inflection of acquiescer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

acquiēsce

1. second-person singular present active imperative of acquiēscō

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