Word
Definitions
01general agreement
C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Academic · Formal
n. a general agreement among a group of people.
n. general agreement or concord among the members of a group or community.
Español:consenso
“After a long discussion, the committee finally reached a consensus on the new rules.”
“The scientific consensus regarding climate change has strengthened significantly over the last decade as more empirical data has become available.”
Usage
Often used with the verbs 'reach', 'build', or 'achieve'.
Pitfall
The group reached to a consensus.
The group reached a consensus.
The verb 'reach' is transitive here; do not use the preposition 'to' before the noun.
Antonyms
02computing agreement
C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Computing Technical
n. an agreement on a specific piece of data during a computer process.
n. the process of achieving agreement on a single data value among distributed processes or systems.
“The servers must reach a consensus before the transaction can be completed.”
“Distributed ledgers rely on a consensus mechanism to ensure that every node in the network maintains an identical copy of the database.”
Usage
Commonly appears in the phrase 'consensus mechanism' or 'consensus algorithm'.
03to seek agreement
C2 · Proficiency Formal
v. to talk with others in order to reach a group agreement.
v. to engage in discussions or negotiations with the specific intent of reaching a collective agreement.
“The leaders spent the afternoon consensusing on the final version of the treaty.”
“The board members spent several hours consensusing the proposed budget before putting it to a formal vote.”
Usage
This verb use is much less common than the noun form and is restricted to highly formal or bureaucratic contexts.
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “consensus” in context.
Verb
01. reach consensus
“After hours of intense debate, the committee finally managed to reach consensus on the new policy.”
verb + noun
Adjective
02. general consensus
“The general consensus among experts is that the economy will recover by the end of the year.”
adj + noun
Real-World Examples
“The current expert consensus is that perimenopausal symptoms are not histamine-driven, says Huang.” “The negotiations have tested to the limit the UN consensus system – which requires all countries to sign up to the final agreement.” Etymology
Borrowed from Latin cōnsēnsus (“agreement, accordance, unanimity”), from cōnsentiō (“feel together; agree”); see consent.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Related words
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/consensus
「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0