Meaning & use
accepted
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Generally approved or regarded as correct, satisfactory, or normal by people in authority or by society.
Grammar: Often comes before a noun: an accepted method. It can also follow linking verbs: the plan is accepted.
Patterns
- an accepted way of doing something
- an accepted standard
- widely accepted
The course follows an accepted method for teaching pronunciation.
Her explanation became the accepted version of events at the office.
adjectivenot comparable
Agreed by most members of a group or community, even if not formally approved by an official body.
Grammar: Usually follows a verb, often with by or among: accepted among researchers.
Patterns
- accepted by the group
- accepted among experts
- become accepted
Working from home is now accepted among many teams.
The custom was accepted by the neighborhood long before the city wrote it into law.
Common combinations
- widely accepted
- Online payment is now widely accepted by small shops.
- accepted practice
- Asking before borrowing equipment is accepted practice in our lab.
- accepted standard
- The report uses an accepted standard for measuring air quality.
- generally accepted
- It is generally accepted that sleep affects memory.
- accepted by
- The proposal was quickly accepted by the committee.
Synonyms and how they differ
- approved
- Approved stresses official or authorized agreement, while accepted can describe broader social agreement.
- recognized
- Recognized means known or acknowledged as valid; accepted adds the idea of being treated as normal or satisfactory.
- standard
- Standard describes the usual model; accepted describes something people agree to treat as correct.
- acknowledged
- Acknowledged emphasizes admission or recognition, often of a fact, rather than approval of a method.
Opposites
Word family
- accept verb
- To agree to receive, believe, or approve something.
- acceptance noun
- The act of accepting or the state of being accepted.
- acceptable adjective
- Good enough or allowed; different from accepted, which means agreed upon.
- acceptably adverb
- In a way that is good enough or satisfactory.
Commonly confused: accepted or acceptable? accepted or excepted?
accepted vs acceptable
Accepted means agreed upon or regarded as normal; acceptable means good enough. A solution can be acceptable before it is accepted.
accepted vs excepted
Excepted means excluded or left out; accepted means approved or agreed. They sound similar but have opposite ideas in many contexts.
Practice
Choose the best sentence.
Choose one answer.
Accepted fits because most drivers agree with or treat the rule as normal. Acceptable would mean merely good enough, and excepted means excluded.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “accepted”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.