Basic Details
Word: Acquiesce
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: To accept or agree to something quietly, without arguing, even if you are not keen on it.
Synonyms: agree, consent, comply, give in
Antonyms: resist, refuse, object, protest
How to Spell Acquiesce
Syllables: ac - qui - esce
Tricky part: Three traps: a c before the q (as in acquire), the ie after the qu, and -esce at the end with an s and a c together.
Watch out for: aquiesce, acquiese, acquiesse, acquiess
Memory tip: Look for quie, the start of quiet: to acquiesce is to go quiet and agree. Put ac in front, as in acquire, and finish with the sce of adolescence.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The committee finally acquiesced to the students' request for a longer lunch break.
Example 2: My father wanted the hill station, but he acquiesced when we all voted for the beach.
Example 3: She would not acquiesce in a plan she thought was unfair.
Fun Fact
Acquiesce comes from Latin acquiescere, to rest or be at ease, built on quies, rest. The same root gives quiet and quiescent, meaning inactive.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word acquiesce as used in the sentence:
The villagers would not acquiesce to the plan to build a factory on their farmland.
a) yield
b) resist
c) agree
d) consent
Show answer
b) resist. To resist is to fight against something; agree, consent and yield all mean going along with it.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
acqu_e_ce
a) a, s
b) i, s
c) i, c
d) e, s
Show answer
b) i, s. After qu comes the ie of quiet, and the hissing sound at the end is written sc.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. protest 2. persuade 3. negotiate 4. aquiesce
a) to discuss something in order to reach an agreement
b) to say strongly that you disagree
c) to accept something quietly without arguing
d) to make someone agree by giving good reasons
Show answer
c) to accept something quietly without arguing. Acquiesce needs a c before the q, just like acquire and acquaint.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A shopkeeper who acquiesces when a customer asks for a discount ____.
a) raises the price
b) shouts at the customer
c) calls the police
d) quietly agrees to it
Show answer
d) quietly agrees to it
2. Which person is acquiescing?
a) Asha, who writes a complaint to the cinema
b) Asha, who walks out of the room in anger
c) Asha, who argues for an hour about the film
d) Asha, who sighs and goes along with her brother's choice of film
Show answer
d) Asha, who sighs and goes along with her brother's choice of film
