akzeptierende

Akzeptierende is the present participle (Partizip I) of the verb akzeptieren in German. It functions as an adjective meaning “accepting” and is used to describe people, attitudes, or behaviors that involve acceptance. In attributive position it declines like other participle adjectives: masculine nominative akzeptierender Mann, feminine nominative akzeptierende Frau, neuter akzeptierendes Verhalten, plural akzeptierende Haltungen. Predicative use is also possible, for example: Die Haltung ist akzeptierend.

In standard usage, the form is most commonly found before nouns that express a quality or stance, as in eine akzeptierende Haltung or akzeptierendes Verhalten. The related non-participial noun forms das Akzeptieren (the act of accepting) and die Akzeptanz (acceptance) are more common for naming the act or the concept rather than describing a person or thing.

Nominalized forms of the participle can occur in stylized or technical contexts. The capitalized Akzeptierende can, in rare cases, refer to a person who accepts or approves, but this usage is uncommon and not widely adopted in everyday language. More typical references to a person who accepts would use a phrase such as eine Person, die akzeptiert, or simply eine Akzeptierende in specific jargon.

Related terms include akzeptieren (to accept), Akzeptanz (acceptance), and in scientific contexts Akzeptor (the acceptor) as a technical noun. Akzeptierende thus belongs to the family of expressions around acceptance, with emphasis on the act or attitude of accepting rather than the act of rejecting.