Conceders

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Acknowledging or admitting the validity of a point or claim made by others
2. Individuals who grant a concession or compromise in a discussion or argument
3. Those who relinquish a demand or right, often in negotiation or debate

Etymology: "Conceders" is the plural of "conceder," a person who concedes, admits, or yields a point. The word is simply "concede" with the agent suffix "-er" added, so its interest lies in the verb it comes from. "Concede" was borrowed from Latin "concedere," meaning "to yield" or "to grant," built from "con-" (together, thoroughly) and "cedere" (to go, give way). That Latin verb passed into English through Old French, and its core sense of stepping back or giving ground is still visible in the way we use "concede" for surrendering an argument or a game. The suffix has a longer ancestry than the verb. "-er" descends from the Latin "-arius," which English inherited through Old English "-ere," used for workers and agents, so a "conceder" is formed on the same pattern as "baker" or "writer." Both the verb and the suffix are old enough that the word needs no special coinage: it is a straightforward English formation that simply names one who concedes.

Synonyms: admitters, acknowledgers, yielders, surrenderers, compromisers

Antonyms: deniers, refusers, obstinates, contesters, opposers