assertive

[ uh-sur-tiv ]

/ əˈsɜr tɪv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR assertive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

confidently aggressive or self-assured; positive: aggressive; dogmatic: He is too assertive as a salesman.

having a distinctive or pronounced taste or aroma.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of assertive

First recorded in 1555–65; assert + -ive

SYNONYMS FOR assertive

1. forceful, decisive, forward.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR assertive ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

as·ser·tive·ly, adverbas·ser·tive·ness, nounnon·as·ser·tive, adjectivenon·as·ser·tive·ly, adverb

non·as·ser·tive·ness, nouno·ver·as·ser·tive, adjectiveo·ver·as·ser·tive·ly, adverbo·ver·as·ser·tive·ness, nounpseu·do·as·ser·tive, adjectivepseu·do·as·ser·tive·ly, adverbun·as·ser·tive, adjectiveun·as·ser·tive·ly, adverbun·as·ser·tive·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for assertive

And, in all fairness to Lady Gaga, any singer who matches up with Tony Bennett needs to get loud and assertive.
Can Lady Gaga Do Jazz?|Ted Gioia|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It tells me we need more women, and men, to raise their girls the way my parents raised me: to be assertive, confident and proud.
Sheryl Sandberg's Got a Bigger Problem Than Bossy-Gate|Keli Goff|March 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He would recognize the angry, assertive tone of comments on web articles as the exact same tendency he identified in 1929.
The Smartest Book About Our Digital Age Was Published in 1929|Ted Gioia|January 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead they were becoming an assertive voice on the streets, and also online, for their rights.
Principal Murdered in Pakistan: Latest Assault on Girls' Schooling|Gordon Brown|March 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST

When a shy person decides to be assertive, they go over the top.
All Novels Are Spy Novels: Ian McEwan Talks ‘Sweet Tooth’ and His Life|Maya Jaggi|November 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Peanuts were the order of the day, and their assertive crackle broke in upon the finest passages.
The Girl from Montana|Grace Livingston Hill
In his doubts, too, he was no less interesting and assertive.
Evolution Of The Japanese, Social And Psychic|Sidney L. Gulick
Assertive individualism, while allowed a certain range among the samurai, always had its well-marked limits.
Evolution Of The Japanese, Social And Psychic|Sidney L. Gulick
Those we have here are so bold and assertive that I have become quite accustomed to them.
The Sunny Side of Diplomatic Life, 1875-1912|Lillie DeHegermann-Lindencrone
He had a dislike for anything which savoured of assertive impudence.
For Jacinta|Harold Bindloss

British Dictionary definitions for assertive

assertive

/ (əˈsɜːtɪv) /

adjective

confident and direct in claiming one's rights or putting forward one's views

given to making assertions or bold demands; dogmatic or aggressive

Derived Formsassertively, adverbassertiveness, 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

Word Origin and History for assertive

assertive

adj.

1560s, "declaratory, positive, full of assertion," from assert + -ive. Meaning "insisting on one's rights" is short for self-assertive (1865).