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Fairly simple one this time: What’s the best collocation with compromise if I want to say that it has been reached and, hopefully, is going to last long?

I’m looking for the most natural, the “first thing that comes to mind” kind of combination.

  • stable compromise?
  • firm compromise?
  • steady compromise?
  • strong compromise?
  • ____ compromise?

I did a brief Google search but obtained no satisfactory results.

Seems like stable compromise is fine, but I'm not sure this is it.

EDIT: Having been reminded of the associations of the word compromise, I have hereby modified my question. I'm actually looking for a nice way to express the situation in which two opposing parties have reached an agreement on sth, and the agreement is stable, and it's good, and everybody's happy, and it's white X-mas in Hades. I think that, instead of compromise, we could work with agreement, harmony, concord or consensus.

jules
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  • Ah, the noun compromise; well, what collocates with the verb compromise? – John Lawler Jun 22 '14 at 16:34
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    The LTP Dictionary of Selected Collocations (p51) lists the following as adjective collocates of the noun compromise: acceptable, definite, early, fair, good, potential, reasonable, (un)satisfactory, shaky, tacit, uneasy. Verb collocates are are: agree on/to, aim at, arrive at, come to, effect, negotiate, patch up, reach, reject, seek, work out. – Shoe Jun 22 '14 at 18:31
  • I'm going for "unshaky" and "easy" :) – jules Jun 22 '14 at 18:37

1 Answers1

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The noun compromise has multiple senses:

  1. The settlement of differences by arbitration or by consent reached by mutual concessions.
  2. A committal to something derogatory or objectionable; a prejudicial concession; a surrender.

The first sense (which presumably applies in this case) is less pejorative than the other, but both senses connote less-than-perfect. For that reason, adjectives like stable, firm, steady, and strong seem unsuitable to me; they introduce a mocking or ironic tone. Consider, instead, amicable or workable. Ngrams for amicable compromise,workable compromise shows that the former phrase was common before the early 1900s, and the latter since then.

Ngrams for amicable compromise,workable compromise,acceptable compromise shows acceptable compromise (as suggested by StoneyB) as slightly more popular, and can be used if it fits with your idea.

James Waldby - jwpat7
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  • +1 Good. You might plug acceptable compromise into your Ngram. – StoneyB on hiatus Jun 22 '14 at 16:46
  • Maybe it's a cultural/personal thing but I don't see why "compromise" (= making concessions) may be pejorative. Nevertheless, "workable" is close even though I'm not sure a cigar can be expected. – jules Jun 22 '14 at 16:57
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    @jules The problem is that for some people, the very notion of compromise involves not getting some things you want and getting some things you don’t want, both of which are something like anti-goals. This can overshadow the goal-condition of reaching some sort of agreement. It may be mutual concession, and in fact must be, but it is concession nonetheless, and this can rankle. Furthermore, there is a sense of (to) compromise that is seen as negative, as in compromising oneself; also the OED cites The Emperor··disowned his compromised minister in London., which is negative. – tchrist Jun 22 '14 at 17:48
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    Seaching COCA for collocating adjectives that precede the noun compromise, the first seven such collocations are possible, acceptable, final, new, bipartisan, successful, and perfect. – tchrist Jun 22 '14 at 18:10
  • @tchrist Well, maybe I should go look for another word that's less problematic for the speakers of EN? "Agreement"? "Harmony"? "Concord"? "Consensus"? – jules Jun 22 '14 at 18:29
  • @jules Perhaps so; to me at least agreement or consensus carries less baggage than does compromise, and does not risk compromising the sense. – tchrist Jun 22 '14 at 18:35
  • Fine, so we've reached an agreement/a consensus, and I hope it will be "..........."? – jules Jun 22 '14 at 18:39
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    @jules, consider long-lasting agreement, enduring or durable consensus, etc – James Waldby - jwpat7 Jun 22 '14 at 19:25
  • "durable consensus" - that really nice. – jules Jun 23 '14 at 07:31