Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act of receiving or taking something offered: The action of agreeing to receive or undertake something presented.
   • Agreement with or belief in an idea, proposal, or situation: A mental attitude of regarding something as true, valid, or correct.
   • Favorable reception; approval: The state of being welcomed, approved, or adopted by others.
   • A draft or bill of exchange that has been signed by the party on whom it is drawn, agreeing to pay it when due: A specific term in banking and finance.

Usage

• General Use: "Acceptance" often describes a positive act of receiving or agreeing to something.
• Formal/Contractual Use: In legal and financial contexts, it signifies formal consent that creates an obligation.
• Social/Psychological Use: Refers to the state of being accepted by a group or the internal attitude of believing something.

Examples

• Act of Receiving:
  • Her acceptance of the award was met with applause.
  • The university sent him a letter of acceptance.
• Agreement/Belief:
  • Public acceptance of the new policy grew over time.
  • His theory gained widespread acceptance in the scientific community.
• Favorable Reception:
  • The new product met with immediate acceptance from consumers.
• Financial Instrument:
  • The bank's acceptance of the draft guaranteed its payment.

Advanced Usage

• "Acceptance of persons": (Archaic/Formal) Showing favoritism or partiality.
  • The judge was known for his fair rulings, with no acceptance of persons.
• "Find acceptance": To be approved or believed.
  • The radical idea did not find acceptance among traditional scholars.

Variants and Related Words

• Accept (v): To receive or agree to something.
• Acceptable (adj): Able to be agreed on; satisfactory.
• Acceptor (n): One who accepts, especially the party who signs a draft.

Synonyms

• Approval: The action of officially agreeing to something.
• Adoption: The action of taking up or beginning to use something.
• Consent: Permission or agreement.
• Credence: Belief in or acceptance of something as true.

Antonyms

• Rejection: The act of refusing to accept, consider, or use.
• Refusal: An act of showing unwillingness to do something.
• Denial: The action of declaring something to be untrue.

Related Phrases

• Acceptance speech: A speech given by someone receiving an award or honor.
  • She delivered a moving acceptance speech at the ceremony.
• Acceptance rate: The ratio of applicants who are offered admission (e.g., to a university).
  • The college has a very low acceptance rate.
• Acceptance testing: A testing phase to verify if a system meets required specifications.
  • The software passed the final acceptance testing.

Noun

1. the act of taking something that is offered
   • her acceptance of the gift encouraged him
   • he anticipated their acceptance of his offer
2. a disposition to tolerate or accept people or situations
   • all people should practice toleration and live together in peace
3. banking: a time draft drawn on and accepted by a bank
4. (contract law) words signifying consent to the terms of an offer (thereby creating a contract)
5. the state of being acceptable and accepted
   • torn jeans received no acceptance at the country club
6. the act of accepting with approval; favorable reception
   • its adoption by society
   • the proposal found wide acceptance
7. the mental attitude that something is believable and should be accepted as true
   • he gave credence to the gossip
   • acceptance of Newtonian mechanics was unquestioned for 200 years