assertion
Americannoun
-
a positive statement or declaration, often without support or reason.
a mere assertion;
an unwarranted assertion.
- Synonyms:
- allegation, contention, claim
-
an act of asserting.
noun
-
a positive statement, usually made without an attempt at furnishing evidence
-
the act of asserting
Other Word Forms
- assertional adjective
- misassertion noun
- nonassertion noun
- overassertion noun
- reassertion noun
- superassertion noun
Etymology
Origin of assertion
1375–1425; late Middle English assercion < Latin assertiōn- (stem of assertiō ). See assert, -ion
Explanation
An assertion is a declaration that's made emphatically, especially as part of an argument or as if it's to be understood as a statement of fact. To assert is to state with force. So if someone makes an assertion, they’re not just trying out an idea — they really mean it. An assertion can also be an act that seems to make a statement without words. When your dog urinates in multiple places up and down your block, he's making an assertion of his dominance (also called "marking") over his "territory."
Vocabulary lists containing assertion
The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 6
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"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Previous U.S. administrations have been uncomfortable challenging that assertion.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
But it has walked a fine line over six weeks of war in the region, describing open waters in the strait as of global interest, while avoiding any condemnation of Iran’s assertion of control.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
Here is where I’m required to offer a throat-clearing assertion that everyone else’s marriage is a mystery, and that we can never know the depths of love or loathing from the outside.
From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026
"The assertion that some crimes against humanity are less severe than others objectively diminishes the suffering of countless victims and survivors of other atrocities throughout history," he argued.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
Ikner's description of the scene contradicted the assertion that Myers had made at trial about seeing Morrison near the front counter.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
