Standard Lemma guide

consensus

noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /kənˈsɛnsəs/
  • Canada: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K AH0 N S EH1 N S AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A process of decision-making that seeks widespread agreement among group members.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

General agreement among the members of a given group or community, each member of which exercises some discretion in decision-making and follow-up action.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • reach consensus
  • After years of debate over the best wine to serve at Thanksgiving, no real consensus has emerged.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An agreement on some data value that is needed during computation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Average projected value.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: attributive, countable, uncountable

Examples

  • a financial consensus forecast

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To seek consensus; to hold discussions with the aim of reaching mutual agreement.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ambitransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

agreement in the judgment or opinion reached by a group as a whole

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the lack of consensus reflected differences in theoretical positions
  • those rights and obligations are based on an unstated consensus

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: agreement, accord

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin cōnsēnsus (“agreement, accordance, unanimity”), from cōnsentiō (“feel together; agree”); see consent.

Across languages

Translations

72 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: إِجْمَاع (ʔijmāʕ) — general agreement
  • Arabic: تَوَافُق (tawāfuq) — general agreement
  • Armenian: կոնսենսուս (konsensus) — general agreement
  • Armenian: ընդհանուր համաձայնություն (əndhanur hamajaynutʻyun) — general agreement
  • Azerbaijani: icma — general agreement
  • Azerbaijani: konsensus — general agreement
  • Azerbaijani: yekdillik — general agreement
  • Bulgarian: съгла́сие (sǎglásie) — general agreement
  • Bulgarian: единоду́шие (edinodúšie) — general agreement
  • Bulgarian: консе́нсус (konsénsus) — general agreement
  • Chinese Mandarin: 共識 /共识 (gòngshí) — general agreement
  • Czech: shoda — general agreement
  • Czech: souhlas — general agreement
  • Czech: konsenzus — general agreement
  • Danish: konsensus — general agreement
  • Dutch: consensus — general agreement
  • Dutch: eensgezindheid — general agreement
  • Dutch: overeenstemming — general agreement
  • Esperanto: interkonsento — general agreement
  • Finnish: yhteisymmärrys — general agreement
  • Finnish: konsensus — general agreement
  • French: consensus — general agreement
  • Georgian: კონსენსუსი (ḳonsensusi) — general agreement
  • German: Konsens — general agreement
  • German: Einvernehmen — general agreement
  • German: Einigkeit — general agreement
  • German: Übereinstimmung — general agreement
  • Gothic: 𐍃𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌵𐌹𐍃𐍃 (samaqiss) — general agreement
  • Greek: ομοφωνία (omofonía) — general agreement
  • Greek: κοινή συναίνεση (koiní synaínesi) — general agreement
  • Hebrew: קוֹנְצֶנְזוּס (kontsénzus) — general agreement
  • Hebrew: מִסְכָּם (puristic) — general agreement
  • Hindi: संप्रतिपत्ति (sampratipatti) — general agreement
  • Hungarian: egyezség — general agreement
  • Icelandic: samstaða — general agreement
  • Icelandic: samhljóða álit — general agreement
  • Indonesian: konsensus — general agreement
  • Indonesian: kesepakatan — general agreement
  • Italian: consenso — general agreement
  • Japanese: 総意 (sōi) — general agreement
  • Japanese: 協心 (kyōshin) — general agreement
  • Japanese: コンセンサス (konsensasu) — general agreement
  • Kazakh: бәтуа (bätua) — general agreement
  • Kazakh: бәтуаластық (bätualastyq) — general agreement
  • Kazakh: пәтуа (pätua) — general agreement
  • Kazakh: пәтуаластық (pätualastyq) — general agreement
  • Korean: 합의 (habui) — general agreement
  • Latin: consensus — general agreement
  • Māori: tatūnga tokitoki — general agreement
  • Norwegian Bokmål: konsensus — general agreement
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: konsensus — general agreement
  • Persian: اجماع (ejmâ') — general agreement
  • Polish: konsensus — general agreement
  • Portuguese: consenso — general agreement
  • Romanian: consens — general agreement
  • Russian: консе́нсус (konsɛ́nsus) — general agreement
  • Russian: согла́сие (soglásije) — general agreement
  • Russian: единоду́шие (jedinodúšije) — general agreement
  • Serbo-Croatian: консѐнзус — general agreement
  • Serbo-Croatian: спо̏разӯм — general agreement
  • Serbo-Croatian: konsènzus — general agreement
  • Serbo-Croatian: spȍrazūm — general agreement
  • Slovene: dogovor — general agreement
  • Spanish: consenso — general agreement
  • Swedish: konsensus — general agreement
  • Turkish: konsensüs — general agreement
  • Ukrainian: консе́нсус (konsénsus) — general agreement
  • Ukrainian: зго́да (zhóda) — general agreement
  • Vietnamese: sự đồng lòng — general agreement
  • Vietnamese: sự đồng thuận — general agreement
  • Vietnamese: sự đồng tâm — general agreement
  • Vietnamese: sự nhất trí — general agreement
Real reading context

consensus in complete knowledge articles