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definitions

assertive

[uh-sur-tiv]
adjective
  1. confidently aggressive or self-assured; positive: aggressive; dogmatic: He is too assertive as a salesman.
  2. having a distinctive or pronounced taste or aroma.

Origin of assertive

First recorded in 1555–65; assert + -ive
Related formsas·ser·tive·ly, adverbas·ser·tive·ness, nounnon·as·ser·tive, adjectivenon·as·ser·tive·ly, adverbnon·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

Synonyms for assertive

1. forceful, decisive, forward.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for assertively

Contemporary Examples of assertively

Historical Examples of assertively

  • Well have to get her back before that time, declared her chum, assertively.

    The Girls of Central High

    Gertrude W. Morrison

  • Malmaison wears its flowers as a lady wears her gems, flauntingly, assertively.

  • Her voice was a very soft and pleasing voice, and she spoke persuasively and not assertively as so many American women do.

British Dictionary definitions for assertively

assertive

adjective
  1. confident and direct in claiming one's rights or putting forward one's views
  2. 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 assertively
adv.

mid-15c., assertiveli; see assertive + -ly (2).

assertive

adj.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper