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.
Some investors want to see Anthropic’s October numbers before assuming a cut.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
With two increases priced in, in addition to September’s hike, the market is assuming the Fed will simply reverse the cuts delivered at the end of 2025.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
ExxonMobil agreed to take over as operator in September, assuming responsibility from France-based energy major TotalEnergies, which retains a significant stake.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
Yorkshire Water said Medalova would join the company on Monday as part of a transition period before assuming the chief executive officer role full time in the new year.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
