assertive

[ uh-sur-tiv ]

/ əˈsɜr tɪv /

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See synonyms for: assertive / assertiveness 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR assertive

1 forceful, decisive, forward.

See synonyms for assertive on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of assertive

First recorded in 1555–65; assert + -ive

OTHER WORDS FROM assertive

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. 2023

How to use assertive in a sentence

Hladky’s layered constructions are too assertive to settle for being backdrops.
In the galleries: Personal and political perspectives on the past|Mark Jenkins|February 19, 2021|Washington Post
I’m giving you a sense of how assertive I’m going to be, what sort of knowledge I have.
Can I Ask You a Ridiculously Personal Question? (Ep. 451)|Stephen J. Dubner|February 11, 2021|Freakonomics
About $20 billion of that amount would be devoted to a more assertive federal role in the mass vaccination campaign.
Most Americans say the coronavirus pandemic is not controlled, Post-ABC poll finds|Amy Goldstein, Emily Guskin|January 20, 2021|Washington Post
Lukonge chimes in assertively: “When people discourage us we feel more encouraged to go on.”
Victims No More: Congo’s Badass Women Mechanics|Nina Strochlic|June 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Well have to get her back before that time, declared her chum, assertively.
The Girls of Central High|Gertrude W. Morrison
"Well, I am engaged to him," said Pauline, stoutly but not over-assertively.
The Adventures of a Widow|Edgar Fawcett
Her voice was a very soft and pleasing voice, and she spoke persuasively and not assertively as so many American women do.
The Secret Places of the Heart|H. G. Wells
Tomlinson was trying to make conversation by repeating assertively what he had read in the evening press.
McAllister and His Double|Arthur Train
I thought of the "darkness 'broidered with luminous eyes," and I walked forward rapidly, self-assertively.
The Green Eyes of Bst|Sax Rohmer

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 forms of assertive

assertively, 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

assertive

OTHER WORDS FOR assertive

Origin of assertive

OTHER WORDS FROM assertive

Words related to assertive

How to use assertive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for assertive

Derived forms of assertive