assail

[ uh-seyl ]

See synonyms for: assail assailed assailing assailable on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to attack vigorously or violently; assault.
to attack with arguments, criticism, ridicule, abuse, etc.: to assail one's opponent with slander.

to undertake with the purpose of mastering: He assailed his studies with new determination.
to impinge upon; make an impact on; beset: His mind was assailed by conflicting arguments. The light assailed their eyes.

Origin of assail

1175–1225; Middle English asaylen<Old French asalir<Late Latin assalīre, equivalent to Latin as-as- + salīre to leap, spring

synonym study For assail

1. See attack.

Other words for assail

2	asperse, malign

See synonyms for assail on Thesaurus.com

Other words from assail

as·sail·a·ble, adjective
as·sail·a·ble·ness, noun
as·sail·er, noun
as·sail·ment, noun
un·as·sailed, adjective
un·as·sail·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use assail in a sentence

Another day the duke's bailiff came to Hellesdon with 300 men to see if the place were assailable.
Landholding In England | Joseph Fisher
But he soon found that the position extended too far southward to be assailable by his limited forces.
The Relief of Mafeking | Filson Young
A modern general would certainly have guarded with special care the flank that was most easily assailable.
Battles of English History | H. B. (Hereford Brooke) George
With great activity and energy, therefore, they betook themselves to the fortification of every assailable point.
Great Events in the History of North and South America | Charles A. Goodrich
A part were stationed in the city, a part at Brooklyn, Long Island, and detachments at various other assailable points.
Great Events in the History of North and South America | Charles A. Goodrich

British Dictionary definitions for assail

assail

/ (əˈseɪl) /

verb(tr)

to attack violently; assault
to criticize or ridicule vehemently, as in argument

to beset or disturb: his mind was assailed by doubts
to encounter with the intention of mastering: to assail a problem; to assail a difficult mountain ridge

Origin of assail

C13: from Old French asalir, from Vulgar Latin assalīre (unattested) to leap upon, from Latin assilīre, from salīre to leap

Derived forms of assail

assailable, adjective
assailer, noun
assailment, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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