consensus

consensus — noun

1. an opinion or decision that most people in a group come to share by talking abou

1.nounB2
Definition

an opinion or decision that most people in a group come to share by talking about it together

Example

After hours of talks, the committee reached a consensus on the new school schedule.

collocation: reach a consensus

Climate scientists at the Geneva summit reached a broad consensus on emission targets.

adjective: broad consensus

Common collocations
  • reach a consensus
  • build a consensus
  • broad consensus
  • general consensus
  • clear consensus
  • political consensus
  • scientific consensus
  • by consensus
Synonyms
  • agreement

    more general; can apply to any topic and any number of people, including two

  • accord

    more formal, often used in legal or diplomatic contexts

  • unanimity

    implies complete agreement by everyone, not just most people

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

reach + consensus

there + be + (no) consensus

by consensus

Usage Note

Often paired with the verb 'reach' (reach a consensus). Common modifiers include 'broad', 'general', and 'clear'. Refers to a group's shared view, not an individual opinion.

Common Mistakes

There is a consensus of opinion among the scientists.
There is a consensus among the scientists.
'Consensus' already means a shared opinion, so 'of opinion' is redundant.
I have a consensus with my brother about the movie.
My brother and I agree about the movie.
'Consensus' is used for groups, not between two people.

Word family

  • consensual
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Agreement' is the broadest term — it covers any shared opinion between two people or a group, from casual ('We have an agreement to split the cost') to formal. 'Consensus' is narrower: it implies a whole group has reached a shared position after discussion, usually without a formal vote. 'Accord' is more formal and often suggests a written or diplomatic deal (the Paris Accord). 'Unanimity' is stronger still — it means every single person agrees, not just most. 'Concurrence' is a rarer, formal synonym that emphasizes people happening to share the same view at the same time. Use 'consensus' when you want to stress that the group worked through differences to find common ground.

agreement ↗accord ↗unanimityconcurrence

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • reach a consensus
  • by consensus
  • consensus on the issue

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Consensus comes directly from the Latin word 'consensus' meaning 'agreement', which was formed from 'consentire' — 'to feel together'. The root 'com-' means 'together' and 'sentire' means 'to feel or think'. English borrowed it in the 1600s, first in legal and academic writing, then in everyday use by the 1800s.