assertive (adj.)

1560s, "declaratory, positive, full of assertion," from assert (v.) + -ive. The meaning "insisting on one's rights or authority" is short for self-assertive.

also from 1560s

Entries linking to assertive

assert (v.)

c. 1600, "declare;" 1640s, "vindicate, maintain, or defend by words or measures," from Latin assertus, past participle of asserere/adserere "to claim, lay claim to, appropriate," from ad "to" (see ad-) + serere "to join together, put in a row" (from PIE root *ser- (2) "to line up"). Related: Asserted; asserting. To assert oneself "stand up for one's rights or authority" is recorded from 1879.

self-assertive (adj.)

"given to asserting one's opinions, rights, or claims; putting oneself forward presumptuously," 1853, from self- + assertive. Related: Self-assertively; self-assertiveness. Self-asserting is attested by 1802; self-assertion is by 1798.

assertively

assertiveness

-ive

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Trends of assertive

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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rumbustious

Coined about the same time were rumbustical, rambumptious "conceited, self-assertive," rumgumptious "shrewd, bold, rash,"...

happen

Phrase happens to be as an assertive way to say "is" is from 1707....

aggressive

The colloquial meaning "self-assertive, pushy" is from 1931. Related: Aggressively; aggressiveness....

ethnic

late 15c. (earlier ethnical, early 15c.) "pagan, heathen," from Late Latin ethnicus, from Greek ethnikos "of or for a nation, national," by some writers (Polybius, etc.) "adopted to the genius or customs of a people, peculiar to a people," and among the grammarians "suited to the

sonnet

1557 (in the title of Surrey's poems), from French sonnet (1540s) or directly from Italian sonetto, literally "little song," from Old Provençal sonet "song," diminutive of son "song, sound," from Latin sonus "sound" (from PIE root *swen- "to sound"). Originally in English and int

number

c. 1300, "sum, aggregate of a collection," from Anglo-French noumbre, Old French nombre and directly from Latin numerus "a number, quantity," from PIE root *nem- "assign, allot; take." The meaning "written symbol or figure of arithmetic value" is from late 14c. The meaning "singl

indict

formerly also endict, c. 1300, enditen, inditen, "bring formal charges against (someone); accuse of a crime," from Anglo-French enditer "accuse, indict, find chargeable with a criminal offense" (late 13c.), Old French enditier, enditer "to dictate, write, compose; (legally) indic

jumbo

"very large, unusually large for its type," 1882, a reference to Jumbo, name of the London Zoo's huge elephant (acquired from France, said to have been captured as a baby in Abyssinia in 1861), sold February 1882 to U.S. circus showman P.T. Barnum amid great excitement in America

Jesus

personal name of the Christian Savior, late 12c.; it is the Greek form of Joshua, used variously in translations of the Bible. From Late Latin Iesus (properly pronounced as three syllables), from Greek Iesous, which is an attempt to render into Greek the Aramaic (Semitic) proper

institute

early 14c., "to establish in office, appoint," from Latin institutus, past participle of instituere "to set up, put in place; arrange; found, establish; appoint, designate; govern, administer; teach, instruct," from in- "in" (from PIE root *en "in") + statuere "establish, to caus

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updated on September 28, 2022

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Dictionary entries near assertive

assemble

assembly

assent

assert

assertion

assertive

assertively

assertiveness

assess

assessable

assessment