acceptance
/əkˈseptəns/ (bre, ipa) · /əkˈseptəns/ (ame, ipa) · /ik-ˈsep-tən(t)s ak-/ (ame, mw)
acceptance — noun
1. the feeling among most people in a community that an idea, behaviour, or person
the feeling among most people in a community that an idea, behaviour, or person is satisfactory and should be welcomed.
Sami's bold new design slowly won acceptance from the older engineers on the team.
win/gain acceptance from [group]
Public acceptance of solar panels has grown quickly in many small towns across Taiwan.
public acceptance of [something]
The young chef longed for acceptance from her grandmother, who only cooked traditional dishes.
Mixing ethnic backgrounds at the school has helped build acceptance among the children.
The new safety rules met with broad acceptance after Mr. Lin explained the reasons.
- approval
narrower — official agreement, often from one authority
- recognition
stresses being noticed and valued, not just tolerated
- embrace
warmer, more enthusiastic welcome
文法句型
acceptance of [something/someone]
gain/win acceptance
用法筆記
Typically uncountable and abstract. Subject is usually a community, public, or peer group rather than a single person; common patterns are 'gain/win acceptance from X' and 'X meets with acceptance'.
常見錯誤
2. the act of saying yes when someone offers you a job, a place at a school, a gift
the act of saying yes when someone offers you a job, a place at a school, a gift, or an invitation.
Camille signed the letter to confirm his acceptance of the marketing job in Taipei.
acceptance of [a job/offer]
Her acceptance of the wedding invitation made her cousin cry with joy.
acceptance of [an invitation]
Kalani opened the email and saw the acceptance letter from Oxford on the screen.
The mayor announced his acceptance of the new role at a small press meeting.
The committee is still waiting for Dr. Jamal's acceptance of their research grant.
- agreement
broader — can mean any kind of saying yes, not only to an offer
- confirmation
stresses making a previous reply official
- approval
more formal, often from a higher authority
文法句型
acceptance of [an offer/invitation/place]
letter/email of acceptance
用法筆記
Distinct from sense 1: this sense is concrete and event-based — a single act of saying yes — and can be countable ('an acceptance', 'two acceptances'). Often paired with concrete nouns like 'letter', 'email', or 'speech'.
常見錯誤
3. the willingness to live with a painful or unwanted situation that you cannot cha
the willingness to live with a painful or unwanted situation that you cannot change, instead of fighting against it.
After many quiet months, Diego finally reached acceptance of his father's death.
reach acceptance of [a loss]
Quiet acceptance of the diagnosis helped Aunt Rosa enjoy her remaining years.
quiet/calm acceptance of [a hardship]
Coming to acceptance of his lost leg took the soldier nearly two long years.
The villagers showed calm acceptance of the floods that returned every spring.
Therapy guided Kalani toward acceptance of the scars from the kitchen fire.
- resignation
darker — suggests giving up rather than peace
- tolerance
putting up with something without necessarily making peace with it
- surrender
more dramatic, often used in spiritual contexts
- denial
refusing to admit a painful reality
- resistance
fighting against a situation
文法句型
acceptance of [a difficult situation]
come to / reach acceptance
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (group approval) and sense 2 (saying yes to an offer): here the object of acceptance is something painful or beyond one's control. Often modified by adjectives like 'quiet', 'calm', or 'reluctant'.