Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

1 ADJ Acceptable activities and situations are those that most people approve of or consider to be normal. □ [+ for ] Is it acceptable for fans to boo their own side? □  The air pollution exceeds most acceptable levels by 10 times or more. ●  ac|cept|abil|ity /ækse ptəb I l I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] …a greater acceptability of other accents. ●  ac|cept|ably /ækse ptəbli/ ADV □  The aim of discipline is to teach children to behave acceptably.

2 ADJ If something is acceptable to someone, they agree to consider it, use it, or allow it to happen. □ [+ to ] They are working together to produce a plan that will be acceptable to all of them. □  They recently failed to negotiate a mutually acceptable new contract.

3 ADJ If you describe something as acceptable , you mean that it is good enough or fairly good. □  On the far side of the street was a restaurant that looked acceptable. ●  ac|cept|ably ADV [ADV adj, ADV with v] □  …a method that provides an acceptably accurate solution to a problem. SYNONYMS acceptable ADJ 3

all right:'How was school?'—'It was all right.'

satisfactory:Neither solution seemed satisfactory.

fine:The skiing is fine.

adequate:The western diet should be perfectly adequate for most people.

passable:She speaks passable French.

ac|cept|ance /ækse ptəns/ (acceptances )

1 N‑VAR [oft poss N ] Acceptance of an offer or a proposal is the act of saying yes to it or agreeing to it. □ [+ of ] The Party is being degraded by its acceptance of secret donations. □  …a letter of acceptance. □  …his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize.

2 N‑UNCOUNT If there is acceptance of an idea, most people believe or agree that it is true. □  …a theory that is steadily gaining acceptance. □  There was a general acceptance that the defence budget would shrink.

3 N‑UNCOUNT Your acceptance of a situation, especially an unpleasant or difficult one, is an attitude or feeling that you cannot change it and that you must get used to it. □ [+ of ] …his calm acceptance of whatever comes his way.

4 N‑UNCOUNT Acceptance of someone into a group means beginning to think of them as part of the group and to act in a friendly way towards them. □  …an effort to ensure that people with disabilities achieve real acceptance.

ac|cept|ed ◆◆◇ /ækse pt I d/

1 ADJ [oft adv ADJ ] Accepted ideas are agreed by most people to be correct or reasonable. □  There is no generally accepted definition of life. □  It is accepted wisdom that science has been partly responsible for the decline of religion.

2 → see also accept

ac|cess ◆◇◇ /æ kses/ (accesses , accessing , accessed )

1 N‑UNCOUNT If you have access to a building or other place, you are able or allowed to go into it. □ [+ to ] The facilities have been adapted to give access to wheelchair users. □ [+ to ] Scientists have only recently been able to gain access to the area. □ [+ to ] The Mortimer Hotel offers easy access to central London.

2 N‑UNCOUNT If you have access to something such as information or equipment, you have the opportunity or right to see it or use it. □ [+ to ] …a Code of Practice that would give patients right of access to their medical records.