Assent

Agreement with or approval of a statement or proposal.

Reach for it when naming a deliberate yes without implying enthusiasm

Every member gave assent to the revised safety standard.

• everyday

  agreement

  shared acceptance of an idea is the broad point

  not when Agreement can describe matching facts without anyone giving approval.

• professional

  approval

  a person or authority judges a proposal favorably

  not when Approval can praise quality without accepting the proposal's terms.

• professional

  consent

  a person freely authorizes something affecting them

  not when Consent concerns permission and must not be inferred from passive assent.

• professional

  endorsement

  public backing should be explicit

  not when Endorsement is more active and promotional than simply agreeing.

• formal

  concurrence

  independent judgments arrive at the same conclusion

  not when Concurrence is legalistic and may mean simultaneous occurrence.

• literary

  acquiescence

  reluctant acceptance after resistance is accurate

  not when Acquiescence carries resignation, so it miscasts willing assent.

• dissent
• refusal
• objection

• give assent

  All four partners must give assent before the lease changes.

• formal assent

  The assembly recorded its formal assent after the final reading.

• assent to the proposal

  Residents gave assent to the proposal after the access route was clarified.