acknowledge
To accept or admit the existence or truth of something
Examples
In a meeting
“Let me acknowledge that we missed our deadline and discuss how to prevent this in the future.”
Over coffee
“I acknowledge that I was wrong about the restaurant closing time.”
Why this word
admit
acknowledge implies recognition without necessarily conceding wrongdoing, while admit suggests reluctant acceptance of fault
recognize
acknowledge carries a formal connotation of publicly accepting something's validity, while recognize is more neutral observation
accept
acknowledge emphasizes the act of formally declaring awareness, while accept focuses on agreeing to or receiving something
Usage tip
Use when you need to formally recognize a fact, concern, or mistake without necessarily agreeing with all implications
Etymology
Middle English from Old French 'aknow' (to recognize) + 'knowledge'
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Related words
broach
To bring up or introduce a topic for discussion
concise
Giving a lot of information clearly in few words.
ambiguous
Open to more than one interpretation; not clear or decided.
convey
To communicate or make an idea, feeling, or meaning known.
reiterate
To say something again for emphasis or clarity.
paraphrase
To restate something in different words to make it clearer or shorter.