Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act of stating something positively or with confidence: An "assertion" is the act of declaring or affirming a fact or belief, often forcefully.
   • A confident and forceful statement of fact or belief: An "assertion" can also refer to the statement itself that is made, typically without providing proof or evidence at the moment it is stated.

Examples

• Noun:
  • His assertion of innocence was met with skepticism. (His confident statement that he was innocent was met with doubt.)
  • The report is based on the assertion that climate change is accelerating. (The report is founded on the confident statement that climate change is speeding up.)
  • She made an assertion about the company's future profits. (She stated a belief about the company's future profits confidently.)

Advanced Usage

• "To make an assertion": To state something confidently.

  • The lawyer made a bold assertion in her opening statement. (The lawyer stated something confidently and forcefully at the start of her argument.)

• "An assertion of authority/rights": A statement or action that declares one's power or entitlements.

  • The new policy was seen as an assertion of government control. (The new policy was viewed as a declaration of the government's power.)

Variants and Related Words

• Assert (verb): To state a fact or belief confidently and forcefully.

  • He asserted that he had completed the work. (He stated confidently that he had finished the work.)

• Assertive (adjective): Having or showing a confident and forceful personality.

  • She is very assertive in meetings. (She is very confident and direct in meetings.)

Synonyms

• Declaration: A formal or explicit statement or announcement.
• Contention: An assertion, especially one maintained in argument.
• Affirmation: The action or process of affirming something.

Related Phrases

• "Mere assertion": A statement made without any proof or supporting argument.

  • His argument was dismissed as a mere assertion. (His argument was rejected because it was just an unsupported statement.)

• "Self-assertion": The confident and forceful expression or promotion of oneself, one's views, or one's desires.

  • Her self-assertion helped her advance in her career. (Her confident promotion of her own abilities helped her career progress.)

Noun

1. the act of affirming or asserting or stating something
2. a declaration that is made emphatically (as if no supporting evidence were necessary)