- present participle of assume.
assuming
Americanadjective
adjective
conjunction
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of assuming
Explanation
If someone accuses you of being assuming, he or she thinks you are arrogant or that you take too much for granted. If you take on an assuming tone when you ask for something, people are more likely to feel offended than to be generous. A person who is quiet and modest is often described approvingly as being unassuming. That person's conceited cousin, with an inflated opinion of himself and a strong sense of entitlement, is more of an assuming sort. You can also use this word as a conjunction. Assuming we leave at 9:00 a.m. and there is little traffic, we should arrive in the late afternoon.
Vocabulary lists containing assuming
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.
George W. Bush spent as much time as possible at the West Texas ranch he bought just before assuming the presidency.
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026
Rather than assuming that one diagnosis corresponds to one underlying pattern of brain activity, the findings suggest that depression can involve markedly different biological changes, sometimes even in opposite directions.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 9, 2026
The WTO estimates that overseas sales from the region will tumble by 17.2% before rebounding by 23.3% next year, assuming the conflict does not extend through 2027.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Doubling exabyte production would take two years, Sankar said, pointing to the 12-month cycle time for wafers and assuming another 12 months that would be needed to build out production and install manufacturing equipment.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
No doubt I am guilty of some injustice here, but it is irreducible, since I cannot risk assuming that the humanity of these people is more real to them than their uniforms.
From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
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.
