consensus

Definitions

con- (together) + sens (the sens- form of sent, 'felt, perceived') = a feeling shared by all. Consensus is stronger than a vote: it implies the whole group genuinely feels the same way, not just that a majority won. Hence 'reach a consensus' — separate feelings converging into one.

Common Collocations

• 1.reach consensus达成共识
• 2.general consensus普遍共识
• 3.broad consensus广泛共识
• 4.build consensus凝聚共识
• 5.consensus view一致看法

Example Sentences

• 1.

  After hours of debate, the committee finally reached a consensus.

• 2.

  There is broad scientific consensus on this point.

• 3.

  The decision was made by consensus rather than by vote.

Easily Confused

consensus vs agreement: an agreement can be reached by majority or even by a contract between two parties; consensus implies the whole group feels aligned, with no strong holdouts. A 51% vote is an agreement, not a consensus.