Giving Up vs Giving In
Difference between giving up and giving in is subtle making it difficult to understand the difference. Especially, if you are not a native speaker of English, to differentiate between giving up and giving in could be quite a challenge. This is because of the fact that both phrases tell or explain the hapless situation where an individual accepts defeat and stops trying. However, there is a subtle difference in their usage and in the contexts that each phrase can be used. What is the feeling you get when told that someone gave up in his endeavor? Or when he gave in? I am sure not many pay attention to this slight change of words, and take it for granted that the two can be used interchangeably. However, on closer look, one finds that giving in is indicative of a close fight or accept defeat after battling it out. On the other hand, giving up reflects an attitude of hopelessness with acceptance of defeat without putting up a fight.
What does Giving In mean?
Thus, while, both giving in and giving up tell us that the person admitted defeat; he loses after putting up a fight in case of give in. Giving in is used more in the sense of yielding or surrendering after opposing a point of view. Note that here, you mean putting an end to fighting or arguing. Look at the following examples and observe how and in what contexts that giving in is used.
The government finally gave in to the demands of the opposition.
Using giving in here indicates that the opposition has been demanding something for a while and the government has been denying it all along. However, after fighting against the demands of the opposition now the government has finally stopped fighting. So, give in is used.
The rat, which fell in the tank, fought for its life valiantly but finally gave in.
The rat which fell into the tank had been fighting for its life for some time. After fighting for its life for some time only, it admitted defeat finally. That means it stopped fighting only after fighting for a while. Therefore, give in is used.
What does Giving Up mean?
Though give up also means admitting defeat, give up indicates the act of surrender without trying or putting up a fight. On the other hand, give up is also used to describe the act of leaving or stopping a habit such as giving up on smoking. Note that in giving up you are speaking about putting an end to trying. Let us take up the difference between giving up and giving in by looking at some examples.
She gave up in her attempt to lose weight when she failed miserably after months of trying.
Losing weight is not a fight. It is a goal this person tries to achieve. She tried for a while and could not achieve that goal, so she stopped trying. So, gave up, the past form of give up, is used in the sense stopped.
He gave up on her ancestral right on the property.
Here, just like smoking, we are speaking about letting go of something. In this example, this person lets go of a right. So, here, gave up is used in the sense of let go.
The team gave up once the captain was dismissed.
Here too, the team stopped trying after their captain was dismissed, without putting up a fight. As a result, we have used gave up in the sense of admitted defeat.
“She gave up in her attempt to lose weight when she failed miserably after months of trying.”
What is the difference between Giving Up and Giving In?
• Both give up and give in describe the act of accepting defeat, though give in reflects a close fight while give up reflects the act of surrendering without putting up a fight.
• You give up habits such as smoking and drinking as you cannot give in to these habits.
• Both, however, express the process of accepting defeat or stop trying.
• Give up is yielding or surrendering without resisting.
• Giving in reflects putting up a good fight before yielding.
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