assertive

[ uh-sur-tiv ]

/ əˈsɜr tɪv /

adjective

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

having a distinctive or pronounced taste or aroma.

Nearby words

assentor, asser, assert, asserted, assertion, assertive, assertiveness training, assertoric, assertory, asses, asses' bridge

Origin of assertive

First recorded in 1555–65; assert + -ive

SYNONYMS FOR assertive

1 forceful, decisive, forward.

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 assertively

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
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
Malmaison wears its flowers as a lady wears her gems, flauntingly, assertively.
Men, Women and Ghosts|Amy Lowell
Well have to get her back before that time, declared her chum, assertively.
The Girls of Central High|Gertrude W. Morrison

British Dictionary definitions for assertively

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

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