Consent: Agreement Freely Given
Consent is permission or agreement. In law and medicine it must be informed and freely given, which makes it a much more demanding word than it looks.
Consent is agreement to something proposed. What separates it from mere acceptance is the conditions attached: consent obtained by pressure, deception or from someone unable to understand is not consent at all, in law or in ordinary judgement.
- Permission or agreement (noun). *Written consent is required.*
- To agree (verb). *She consented to the interview.*
- Shared agreement. *By common consent, the best of the year.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | consent | Parental consent. |
| Verb | consent | He consented to the terms. |
| Adjective | consensual | A consensual agreement. |
| Noun | consensus | A broad consensus. |
| Adjective | consenting | Consenting adults. |
How it is used in a sentence
- No treatment can proceed without informed consent.Informed consent is the standard medical requirement.
- She consented to the search.Consent to something.
- By common consent, he was the finest player of his era.General agreement, not formal permission.
What makes consent valid
- Informed — the person understands what they are agreeing to
- Voluntary — given without pressure or threat
- Capacity — the person is able to understand and decide
- Specific — it covers this thing, not everything
- Revocable — it can be withdrawn at any point
From Latin *consentire*, to feel together, from *com* and *sentire*, to feel. The same *sentire* gives sense, sentiment and consensus — a whole family built on feeling rather than reasoning.
Consent or consensus?
Consent is one person agreeing. Consensus is general agreement across a group, and does not require everyone to say yes.
Consent to or consent for?
The verb takes to: *consented to the operation*. The noun takes for: *consent for the operation*.