List of 426 Sets of Synonyms - How they Differ - Total of 2307 Words - 3

SYNONYMS: acknowledge, admit, own, avow, confess, concede.
These verbs mean to make a disclosure, usually with reluctance or under pressure.

To acknowledge is to accept responsibility for something one makes known: He acknowledged that the purchase had been a mistake.
Admit usually implies marked reluctance in acknowledging one's acts or accepting a different point of view: He admitted he had been absent.
Own stresses personal acceptance of and responsibility for one's thoughts or deeds: She owned that she had fears for the child's safety.
Avow, a strong term, means to assert openly and boldly. He avowed to try harder.
Confess usually emphasizes disclosure of something damaging or inconvenient to oneself: I have to confess that I lied to you.
To concede is to admit something, such as the validity of an argument, often against one's will: The lawyer refused to concede that the two cases were at all similar.