Harmony and Discord: English Vocabulary List

to agree to something, such as a suggestion, request, etc.

"She assented to the proposed plan."

"The committee members all nodded their heads to assent to the proposal without any further discussion or debate about the details."

to reluctantly accept something without protest

"She acquiesced to their demands reluctantly."

"After hours of heated debate the minority party reluctantly acquiesced to the demands of the majority to avoid a government shutdown."

to show one's agreement or approval of an online post or comment by clicking on a specific icon

"Users upvote helpful comments on the site."

"I decided to upvote the comment because it provided a very helpful and detailed explanation that answered all of my questions perfectly."

to agree and not oppose to something that one generally finds unacceptable or unpleasant

"I will not countenance such rude behavior."

"The school administration would not countenance any form of cheating on the final exams and threatened to expel any student who was caught."

to agree to something such as a request, proposal, demand, etc.

"She acceded to his request."

"After much deliberation, the committee decided to accede to the protesters' demands for better working conditions and fair wages."

to surrender after negotiation or when facing overwhelming pressure

"The army capitulated to the enemy."

"Despite their valiant efforts, the outnumbered defenders were forced to capitulate when the enemy breached the city walls."

to accept something, usually after some resistance

"The storm finally relented."

"The parents were initially against the idea, but they eventually relented and allowed their daughter to go on the school trip."

to show one's disagreement or disapproval of an online post or comment by clicking on a specific icon

"Users downvote irrelevant comments on the forum."

"Many users decided to downvote the comment because it contained false information and rude personal attacks against the original poster."

to give or have opinions that differ from those officially or commonly accepted

"Several judges dissented from the majority opinion."

"Only two members of the committee decided to dissent from the majority opinion and voted against the proposed new policy."

to strongly argue, disapprove, or disagree with someone or something

"He expostulated against the unfair decision."

"The teacher began to expostulate with the student about the dangers of skipping classes but the boy would not listen at all."

to disagree or deny that something is true

"No one can gainsay the evidence."

"No one could gainsay the evidence that the detective presented because all of the facts pointed clearly to the defendant's guilt."

‌to express disapproval of something by making a noise in the throat

"He harrumphed loudly at the silly joke."

"The old man would often harrumph loudly whenever he disagreed with something that was being said on the television news programs."

to not support and be against something or someone

"She deprecated his outdated views publicly."

"The committee decided to deprecate the proposed policy changes because they believed they would negatively impact the community."

to disapprove of or have a negative opinion about something, particularly due to being improper or unacceptable

"The school frowns on cheating."

"Many traditional cultures frown on public displays of affection between couples who are not yet officially married to each other."

to intentionally make harmful statements to damage a person or thing's worth or reputation

"Do not denigrate your opponent's character."

"It is not professional to denigrate your coworkers behind their backs because that creates a toxic and unpleasant work environment for everyone involved."

to support, defend, or fight for a cause, principle, or person

"She champions the rights of the poor."

"The civil rights lawyer dedicated her entire career to champion the cause of justice for marginalized and underrepresented communities in the city."

to publicly state that one supports or approves someone or something

"The athlete endorsed the sports drink brand."

"The famous athlete decided to endorse the new sports drink in exchange for a lucrative multi year sponsorship deal with the company."

to give a strong, negative review or opinion about something

"Critics panned the new movie."

"The famous film critic completely panned the movie saying that the acting was terrible and the plot made no sense at all."

a public fight involving a group of people, typically causing a disturbance or public disorder

"The police stopped a violent affray outside the nightclub."

"The police arrested several men for affray after a loud and violent public fight broke out in the town square late at night."

(of views, opinions, etc.) to be different from each other

"Our opinions diverge on this topic."

"Our opinions on the matter began to diverge significantly as we discussed the topic more deeply during the meeting."

to dismiss or reject something as false

"He repudiated the false accusations against him."

"The politician quickly repudiated the extremist group's support because he did not want to be associated with their violent and hateful ideology."

to go against an argument or statement

"His actions contravene the company's policies."

"The new law directly contravenes the constitution so the supreme court will likely strike it down as illegal and invalid."