concessiveadj.n.

1619 T. Preston Roger Widdringtons Last Rejoynder vii. 346 Moreouer, if a permissiue or concessiue law in respect of all mankind, as liuing in ciuill societie, is called the law of nations, why may not also a preceptiue or commanding law although it suppose ciuill societie, in the same respect be called a law of nations?

1797 ‘English Lady’ Resid. in France 360 Of twelve articles of an act said to be concessive, eight are prohibitory and restrictive.

a1832 Encycl. Metrop. (1845) II. 687/1 The concessive law marks the extent of the subject's liberty.

1894 H. M. Luckock Hist. of Marriage ii. v. 258 It seems necessary to point to an argument to be drawn from it in confirmation of what has been said of its being part of the concessive law allowed by Moses.

1997 B. Tierney Idea of Nat. Rights 311 The answer was the same as the one Suarez had given when he considered community of property. The natural law involved was merely concessive or permissive.

2003 Jrnl. Hist. of Ideas 64 366 Freitas infers that Grotius is constantly turning a blind eye to the impact of time and circumstances upon those matters falling under the concessive law of nature.

1632 Conuiction of Noueltie 79 This which I haue vttered touching the agreement of the English Canon of S. Hierome, is onely by way of concessiue supposition in fauor of my antagonists with whome I dispute euen vpon termes of this liberall graunt.

1701 S. Hill Rights, Liberties, & Authorities Christian Church ii. 17 Not only concessive of Liberty, but creative of all Authority.

1763 W. Stewardson Let. Commissioners of his Majesty's Customs 35 This not being thought sufficiently concessive, he was desired to present a second Letter.

1817 Atlantic Monthly Feb. 154 He could not, at first, even think of parting with his beloved Eu-stoch-ee-ex-qua; but he began to grow a little more concessive towards the end.

1876 Contemp. Rev. June 132 In 1840 the Leben Jesu came out in a fourth edition, purged from everything concessive and irenical.

1922 Lit. Digest 23 Sept. 48/2 I became for once—oh, not acquiescent, quite, but at least concessive.

2010 Sunday Times (Nexis) 7 Nov. 8 She's too concessive and anxious to please.

1653 R. Lloyd Latine Gram. 124 The kindes of Conjunctive Adverbs... Some Adversatives, but withall concessive.

1668 Bp. J. Wilkins Ess. Real Char. iii. iv. 314 Conjunctions are such Particles as serve for the joyning together of words, or rather of sentences... The second Combination doth contain such as are either..Concessive, or Exceptive.

1711 J. Greenwood Ess. Pract. Eng. Gram. i. xxii. 164 Conjunctions Concessive, or such as grant the Thing to be so are Although, &c.

1874 H. J. Roby Gram. Lat. Lang. II. iv. xxi. 252 Concessive sentences, in which an action is directed to be taken for granted, in order that discussion may be concentrated on the consequences.

1914 A. Blount & C. S. Northup Eng. Gram. xiv. 230 The concessive clause is a statement which seems to deny or oppose the thought of the modified clause.

2013 R. Mondi & P. L. Corrigan Student Handbk. Greek & Eng. Gram. xviii. 112 In English, concessive clauses are commonly introduced by the conjunctions ‘although’, ‘though’, ‘even though’, and ‘even if’.

1651 C. Hoole Latine Gram. ii. xli. 180 According to their signification som [conjunctions] bee..Concessives, or Adversatives, which grant somwhat which the following sentence may oppose.

1765 W. Ward Ess. Gram. vi. xxiv. 436 Adversatives or Concessives. Though, although, notwithstanding.

1872 J. H. Allen & J. B. Greenough Lat. Gram. i. 94 A concessive is often followed by an adversative.

2013 P. W. Culicover Gram. & Complexity ii. iv. 136 The same constructional components appear in the various concessives.

1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica vii. x. 357 Receiving that affirmatively which was but concessively delivered. View more context for this quotation

1896 Scribner's Mag. Aug. 248/1 ‘I s'pose it's all right,’ said Aunt 'Lindy, concessively.

2005 D. A. Carson Becoming Conversant with Emerging Church iii. 65 What Neo only concessively admits is cast negatively.

1872 S. P. Andrews Basic Outl. Universology p. lv/2 The Beautiful is the result of graceful compromise between the Sternness of Abstract Truth and the too excessive concessiveness of Affection or Love.

1921 Blackwood's Mag. Apr. 460/2 ‘It isn't easy,’ he said..with solemn concessiveness, ‘for other people to understand what these things mean to a soldier.’

2009 E. Alexander Lionel Trilling & Irving Howe i. 24 A writer who was a master of the rhetoric of concessiveness and seemed to conciliate rather than attack his enemies.