assail
Americanverb (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.
verb
-
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
Synonym Usage
See attack.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
assailablenessnoun
-
assailernoun
-
assailmentnoun
-
assailableadjective
-
unassailedadjective
-
unassailingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
assailsimple
-
assailssimple
-
have assailedperfect
-
has assailedperfect
-
am assailingprogressive
-
are assailingprogressive
-
is assailingprogressive
-
have been assailingperfect progressive
-
has been assailingperfect progressive
Past
-
assailedsimple
-
had assailedperfect
-
was assailingprogressive
-
were assailingprogressive
-
had been assailingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of assail
1175–1225; Middle English asaylen < Old French asalir < Late Latin assalīre, equivalent to Latin as- as- + salīre to leap, spring
Explanation
To assail is to attack or assault — with throwing stars, fists, words or, less tangibly but just as violently, with troubles or doubts. Believe it or not, assail evolved from the ancient Latin word assilire, which means "to jump on." So picture an attacker jumping on you, throwing punches and maybe some insults, too. Because assail also means to ridicule or heap your worries upon someone. As novelist Charlotte Bronte noted, “Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last.” Think on that.
Vocabulary lists containing assail
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Othello
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Vocabulary from the Magna Carta on its 800th Anniversary
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
But sociologists in the scholar-activist mold note that Du Bois also believed in using sociological truth in the pursuit of activism, promising in 1906 to “never cease to protest and assail the ears of America.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Musk found that cartoonist’s tweet and called his ban “insane,” inspiring his followers to assail r/comics.
From Slate ● Mar. 13, 2025
In Germany emerged so-called "Herod games" in which people would reportedly stage mock attacks on churches and assail bystanders with inflated animal bladders to ridicule the cruel absurdity of the Judean king.
From Salon ● Dec. 23, 2024
He at once promised to bring back “order” at the border while also vowing not to assail migrants in the manner of Mr. Trump and his allies.
From New York Times ● Mar. 8, 2024
If we make no answer, the Enemy may move Men of his rule to assail King Brand, and Dáin also.’
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
They won us over with their mild pomposity and aloofness, whereas Rapaport’s annoyance wreaks collateral damage like a chronically unbathed person’s odor assails bystanders.
From Salon ● Jan. 15, 2026
Meanwhile, the document assails America’s friends across the Atlantic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025
Simone Biles blasts USA Gymnastics’ settlement proposal; Aly Raisman assails ‘massive cover up’
From Washington Post ● Mar. 3, 2020
He assails the teaching of queer and gender theory there and elsewhere.
From New York Times ● Jan. 6, 2020
When she caught sight of the little group kneeling about the prostrate man, that sense of tragedy, and of the inevitable, which assails at such a time, shook her.
From The Great House by Weyman, Stanley John
The competitive threat posed by cheaper Chinese substitutes has once again assailed semiconductor stocks, leading to dramatic falls in some of the biggest memory chip makers in Asia on Tuesday.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Mayor Karen Bass finds herself in the extraordinary position, as an incumbent, of fighting to make the runoff as she is assailed from the left and the right.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
He did not respond to a detailed list of questions but assailed the requests in two posts on X, where he has 1.8 million followers.
From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2026
After ChatGPT launched in late 2022, a wave of proposals assailed open development as dangerous.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
He waited to hear more, but Aunty Uju said nothing else, and so he sat back, assailed.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Only in America can one get rich by assailing the wealthy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
GM went full speed ahead, pouring money into national ad campaigns assailing things like men eating tofu.
From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2025
For his part, Fauci—a veteran of numerous appearances before Congress—held his ground, assailing accusations made against him as “seriously distorted,” “absolutely false,” and “simply preposterous.”
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 3, 2024
HLA supporters have spent weeks assailing Szabo’s previous cost estimates for the measure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2024
The assailing hosts halted, foiled by the silent menace of rock and wall.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
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.
