acceptance
ak-SEP-tuhnss
/əkˈseptəns/
The action of consenting to receive or undertake something offered; or willingness to tolerate a difficult situation.
In psychological terms, it means recognizing reality as it is without denial or wasteful emotional fight.
The story behind the word. Traces back to Latin 'acceptare', a frequentative form of 'accipere' (to receive or take to oneself), built from 'ad-' (toward) and 'capere' (to take hold of). It crossed into English through Anglo-Norman French in the 14th century.
Word relationships
- acquiescence: Acquiescence implies reluctant agreement; acceptance implies psychological resolution.
- resignation: Resignation carries a tone of sad defeat; acceptance can be peaceful and empowering.
- rejection: Refusal to accept or agree.
- denial: Refusing to acknowledge uncomfortable reality.
Commonly confused with
- exception: An exception is something excluded; acceptance is receiving or agreeing to something.
Word family
- accept (verb): To receive willingly or agree to.
- acceptable (adjective): Satisfactory or allowable.
Collocations
- gain acceptance
- widespread acceptance
- quiet acceptance
- letter of acceptance
Idioms & expressions
- come to terms with
- face reality
Example sentences
- "Finding peace after grief often begins with the quiet acceptance of reality." Psychological health
- "She was overwhelmed with joy upon receiving her letter of acceptance from the university." Academic admissions
Memory hook
ACCEPTANCE means TAKING TO HEART what cannot be changed. Taking reality into your hands.
When not to use
Do not confuse with approval; you can accept a reality without morally approving of it.
Fun facts
- In Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's famous five stages of grief model, 'acceptance' is identified as the final stage of healing.
Related words
Also appears in
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.