assumption

[uh-suhmp-shuhn]

noun

1. something taken for granted; a supposition.

   a correct assumption.

   Synonyms: theory, postulate, guess, conjecture, hypothesis, presupposition

2. the act of taking for granted or supposing.

   Synonyms: presupposition, presumption

3. the act of taking to or upon oneself.

   Synonyms: acceptance

4. the act of taking possession of something.

   the assumption of power.

   Synonyms: usurpation, appropriation, seizure

5. arrogance; presumption.

   Synonyms: gall, forwardness, effrontery

6. the taking over of another's debts or obligations.

7. Ecclesiastical.

   1. (often initial capital letter),  the bodily taking up into heaven of the Virgin Mary.

   2. (initial capital letter),  a feast commemorating this, celebrated on August 15.

8. Logic.,  the minor premise of a syllogism.

assumption

¹

/ əˈsʌmpʃən /

noun

1. the act of taking something for granted or something that is taken for granted

2. an assuming of power or possession of something

3. arrogance; presumption

4. logic a statement that is used as the premise of a particular argument but may not be otherwise accepted Compare axiom

Assumption

²

/ əˈsʌmpʃən /

noun

1. the taking up of the Virgin Mary (body and soul) into heaven when her earthly life was ended

2. the feast commemorating this, celebrated by Roman Catholics on Aug 15

Other Word Forms

• misassumption noun
• nonassumption noun
• overassumption noun
• preassumption noun
• reassumption noun
• self-assumption noun
• superassumption noun
• assumptively adverb
• assumptive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of assumption¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English assumpcioun, assompcioun, assumsion, from Latin assūmptiōn- (stem of assūmptiō ), equivalent to assūmpt(us) “taken up” (past participle of assūmere ) + -iōn- noun suffix; assume, -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of assumption¹

C13: from Latin assūmptiō a taking up, from assūmere to _assume

Example Sentences

Chief Executive Mike Lyons, who joined Fiserv this year from PNC, told analysts on Wednesday that as the company analyzed its business, many of the assumptions and projections set by prior leaders were too rosy.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The new study supports this assumption: In polygamous mammals with strong competition, males generally die earlier than females.

Read more on Science Daily

The OBR is understood to have downgraded this by 0.3 percentage points - a figure first reported by the Financial Times - bringing its assumption closer to that of the Bank of England.

Read more on BBC

Citigroup’s bull case of 7,200 requires stronger 2026 earnings and a higher valuation assumption, around 23 times for the S&P 500, he said.

Read more on MarketWatch

The researchers argue that predictions of an ongoing mass extinction may rely on oversimplified or outdated assumptions.

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

• acceptance 
• belief 
• expectation 
• guess 
• hunch 
• hypothesis 
• inference 
• premise 
• presumption 
• supposition 
• suspicion 
• theory