consensus

Word relationships

• agreement: Agreement can be between two people; consensus usually involves a larger group.
• accord: Accord is more formal and often refers to international treaties.

• disagreement: Disagreement is the lack of a shared opinion.
• discord: Discord implies a harsh or noisy lack of agreement.

Commonly confused with

• unanimity: Unanimity means 100% agreement; consensus means general agreement.

Word family

• consensual (adjective): Relating to or involving consent or consensus.

Collocations

• reach a consensus
• broad consensus
• lack of consensus

Idioms & expressions

• of one mind
• on the same page

Example sentences

• "The scientific consensus is that climate change is driven by human activity." A scientific finding.
• "After hours of debate, the committee finally reached a consensus on the new budget." A meeting outcome.

Memory hook

Consensus = Common Sense (everyone has the same sense about the topic). Consensus = Consent of the Us.

When not to use

Do not use for a unanimous vote where everyone is in perfect agreement; consensus allows for some minor disagreement.

Fun facts

• In some cultures, like the Quakers, consensus is the only way decisions are made—they will wait until everyone agrees before moving forward.

Related words

dissent, groupthink

Explore more words

Agreement, concurrence, concur, consent, concerted

Also appears in

• Communication → Agreements & Affirmations
• Leadership → Collaboration & Teamwork
• Leadership → Decision Making & Decisiveness
• Leadership → Conflict Resolution
• Leadership → Negotiation & Compromise
• Conflict → Compromise & Concession
• Economic Theory & Analysis → Cryptoeconomics
• Environmental Policy & Sustainability Economics → International Environmental Accords
• Work & Office Life → Meetings & Conferences