Meaning & use
consensual
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivenot comparableformallegal
Done with the free and willing agreement of everyone involved.
Grammar: Used mostly before a noun: a consensual agreement.
Patterns
- consensual with someone
Both adults had given consensual agreement to the experiment.
The doctors stressed that every treatment must be consensual.
The relationship was fully consensual.
adjectivebefore a nounformal
Based on general agreement, as in decisions reached by discussion rather than by a vote or order.
Grammar: Less common sense; often used about politics or management style.
The board followed a consensual approach to the merger.
A consensual style of leadership suits small teams.
The treaty is a consensual solution to a long dispute.
Common combinations
- consensual relationship
- Everyone agreed it was a consensual relationship.
- fully consensual
- The study was fully consensual.
- consensual agreement
- They reached a consensual agreement over the property.
- mutually consensual
- The arrangement was mutually consensual.
- consensual decision
- A consensual decision was made after hours of talks.
Synonyms and how they differ
- voluntary
- Voluntary is wider, meaning done by free choice, while consensual stresses agreement between people.
- agreed
- Agreed is an everyday word and does not carry the legal weight of consensual.
- mutual
- Mutual means shared by both sides, but not necessarily freely given consent.
- willing
- Willing describes one person's readiness, whereas consensual refers to agreement among all parties.
Opposites
Word family
- consensually adverb
- with the agreement of all
- consent noun
- permission or agreement
- consent verb
- to agree to something
- consensus noun
- a general agreement
- nonconsensual adjective
- done without agreement
Commonly confused: consensual or consentual? consensual or consensus?
consensual vs consentual
Consentual is a common misspelling. The correct spelling is consensual, from the Latin root also seen in consensus.
consensual vs consensus
Consensus is a noun meaning general agreement, while consensual is an adjective about agreement.
Practice
The clinic checks that every participant has given informed and ____ agreement before the trial starts.
Choose one answer.
Consensual fits as the adjective meaning freely agreed to. Consecutive means in order, consenting to is a verb phrase, and conscious means awake or aware.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “consensual”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.