assertion
Americannoun
-
assertions
plural
-
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
Derived Forms
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misassertionnoun
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nonassertionnoun
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overassertionnoun
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reassertionnoun
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superassertionnoun
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assertionaladjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
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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.
See Examples For:
In response to questions about whether the release supported the president’s assertion, the White House responded with a link to a social media post by U.S.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
Asked whether he would say sorry for his "disrespectful behaviour" in parliament on Tuesday, the Australian leader said: "I reject the assertion in the question."
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
An opposition MP asked Albanese on Tuesday if he would apologise for the "foul-mouthed, classless comments about women", to which the prime minister said he "rejected the assertion of the question".
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
“The assertion that the U.S. Attorney’s Office was snookered by the Department of the Interior is not fooling anybody,” Eisen said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 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
Neither of those assertions is grounded in scientific fact, and both have negative ramifications for women and children if they are followed.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
Fifa has now itself hit out at "unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims", adding that "speculation and insinuation should not be presented as fact".
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Some of these countries have routed doctors’ pay through third-country recruitment firms and rebutted assertions of forced labor by documenting that the Cubans keep their own passports and bank accounts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Such assertions do not reflect the realities of modern Korea and risk undermining confidence in one of America’s closest allies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
He was at first skeptical of the teenager’s assertions, but when she showed him Bobby’s letter and gave him Bobby’s top secret telephone number, Kubat recognized that she was an authentic representative.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
