assert

[ uh-surt ]

verb (used with object)

1. to state with assurance, confidence, or force; state strongly or positively; affirm; aver:

   He asserted his innocence of the crime.

   Synonyms: maintain, avow, asseverate

   Antonyms: deny

2. to maintain or defend (claims, rights, etc.).

   Synonyms: support, uphold

3. to state as having existence; affirm; postulate:

   to assert a first cause as necessary.

assert

/ əˈsɜːt /

verb

1. to insist upon (rights, claims, etc)
2. may take a clause as object to state to be true; declare categorically
3. to put (oneself) forward in an insistent manner

Derived Forms

• asˈserter, noun
• asˈsertible, adjective

Other Words From

• as·serter as·sertor noun
• as·serti·ble adjective
• misas·sert verb (used with object)
• over·as·sert verb (used with object)
• preas·sert verb (used with object)
• reas·sert verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of assert¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin assertus “joined to, defended, claimed,” past participle of asserere “to join to, defend,” from as- as- + serere “to connect” ( series )

Word History and Origins

Origin of assert¹

C17: from Latin asserere to join to oneself, from serere to join

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. assert oneself, to insist on one's rights, declare one's views forcefully, etc.:

   The candidate finally asserted himself about property taxes.

Synonym Study

See declare. See maintain.

Example Sentences

Since the 1980s, Project 2025 asserted, Medicaid had “evolved into a cumbersome, complicated, and unaffordable burden on nearly every state.”

From Los Angeles Times

As national security minister, he has given out free firearms to hundreds of settlers and has encouraged them to assert their right to what - they say - is their "God-given" land.

From BBC

“We will continue to assert and protect our rights.”

From Los Angeles Times

It would be a mistake to assert that Leonardo made art as an expression of his identity, sexual or otherwise — a cultural concept that wouldn’t fully emerge until the modern era.

From Los Angeles Times

But, he asserted, even with the back-and-forth, the final editing decisions were his alone.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• affirm
• allege
• argue
• cite
• claim
• contend
• defend
• proclaim
• profess
• say
• stress
• uphold