consensus

(kən-sĕn'səs)
n.

1. An opinion or position reached by a group as a whole: "Among political women . . . there is a clear consensus about the problems women candidates have traditionally faced" (Wendy Kaminer). See Usage Note at redundancy.
2. General agreement or accord: government by consensus.

[Latin cōnsēnsus, from past participle of cōnsentīre, to agree. See consent.]

View more Science videos

Note the spelling, not concensus. It means 'general agreement', and is often used (1) in collocations with of: consensus of authority, evidence, opinion, etc. (although consensus of opinion is strictly tautological), and (2) in more recent usage, in attributive uses such as consensus view, consensus politics, etc.

Previous:	conscientious, connote, denote, connection
Next:	consequent, consequential, conservative, consider

noun

The quality or condition of being in complete agreement or harmony: unanimity, unanimousness. See agree/disagree.

n

Definition: general agreement
Antonyms: disagreement

Max Weber defined consensus as existing when expectations about the behaviour of others are realistic because the others will usually accept these expectations as valid for themselves, even without an explicit agreement. For Marxists, consensus is a highly ideological concept used to perpetuate class rule by attempting to disguise the extent of conflict within society. The idea of consensus became associated with the debate about ‘the end of ideology’, and the supposed replacement of conflict about basic values and goals by harmony about the ends to be attained. In analyses of post-war politics in Britain and other Western countries, consensus came to be used to refer to cross-party agreement about procedures and constitutional conventions, but also about broad policy objectives such as the maintenance of a national health service and a welfare state, and the use of neo-Keynesian techniques of demand management to ensure full employment. D. Kavanagh and P. Morris define consensus in the sense that it was used in post-war British politics as ‘a set of parameters which bounded the set of policy options regarded by senior politicians and civil servants as administratively practicable, economically affordable and politically acceptable’. Conflict between the parties was then confined to a few symbolic but highly charged issues such as nationalization. Such broad agreement about objectives tended to make much policy-making a technical argument about incremental adjustments to existing policies, enhancing the opportunities open to interest groups to exert influence within a generally agreed set of goals. Post-war consensus politics in Western polities reached its most highly developed form in the long-lasting post-war coalition of the two main parties in Austria (1945-66), and the shorter but politically significant ‘Grand Coalition’ in West Germany (1966-9). The grand coalition in Germany stimulated the emergence of an extraparliamentary opposition on the left and right made up of citizens who felt excluded from the dominant centrist consensus. In Britain, increasing economic difficulties in the 1970s called into question consensus politics based on funding increased public expenditure out of growth. Under Margaret Thatcher's leadership, the Conservative Party moved away from consensus politics to a conviction politics based on strongly held beliefs seen as distinct from those of the Labour Party which itself moved to the left. The 1990s saw a partial return to more consensual politics. Even during the Thatcher period, consensus about political procedures was largely maintained, and some measure of agreement about decision-making procedures is necessary if a polity is to survive as a working entity.

— Wyn Grant

A fundamental agreement within a society, community, or group of basic values.

Quotes:

"Consensus is what many people say in chorus but do not believe as individuals." - Abba Eban

"Talk about the flag or drugs or crime (never about race or class or justice) and follow the yellow brick road to the wonderful land of consensus. In place of honest argument among consenting adults the politicians substitute a lullaby for frightened children: the pretense that conflict doesn't really exist, that we have achieved the blessed state in which we no longer need politics." - Lewis H. Lapham

"A consensus politician is someone who does something that he doesn't believe is right because it keeps people quiet when he does it." - John Major

"It is not much matter which we say, but mind, we must all say the same." - Lord Melbourne

"To me, consensus seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies. So it is something in which no one believes and to which no one objects." - Margaret Thatcher

"Uniform ideas originating among entire peoples unknown to each other must have a common ground of truth." - Giambattista Vico

See more famous quotes about Consensus

For a list of words related to consensus, see:

• Acts, Powers, Conditions, and Procedures - consensus: agreement by majority within group
• Judgments and Critiques - consensus: general or unanimous agreement; majority of opinion

---

See words rhyming with "consensus."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Consensus.

Common misspelling(s) of consensus

• concensus

Dansk (Danish)
n. - bred enighed, flertalssynspunkt

Nederlands (Dutch)
consensus

Français (French)
n. - consensus, unanimité

Deutsch (German)
n. - Übereinstimmung, Konsens, Einigkeit

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - συναίνεση, ομοφωνία, γενική ομολογία/παραδοχή

Italiano (Italian)
consenso

Português (Portuguese)
n. - consenso (m)

Русский (Russian)
согласие, мнение, разделяемое большинством

Español (Spanish)
n. - consenso

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - samstämmighet

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
一致, 舆论, 合意, 共识

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 一致, 輿論, 合意, 共識

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 일치, 조화, 여론

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 一致, コンセンサス, 合意

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) اجماع (الآراء), اتفاق ( في الرأي)‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮הסכמה כללית, קונצנסוס‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.