assertive

[ uh-sur-tiv ]
See synonyms for assertive on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. confidently aggressive or self-assured; positive: aggressive; dogmatic: He is too assertive as a salesman.

  2. having a distinctive or pronounced taste or aroma.

Origin of assertive

1
First recorded in 1555–65; assert + -ive

Other words for assertive

Other words from assertive

  • as·ser·tive·ly, adverb
  • as·ser·tive·ness, noun
  • non·as·ser·tive, adjective
  • non·as·ser·tive·ly, adverb
  • non·as·ser·tive·ness, noun
  • o·ver·as·ser·tive, adjective
  • o·ver·as·ser·tive·ly, adverb
  • o·ver·as·ser·tive·ness, noun
  • pseu·do·as·ser·tive, adjective
  • pseu·do·as·ser·tive·ly, adverb
  • un·as·ser·tive, adjective
  • un·as·ser·tive·ly, adverb
  • un·as·ser·tive·ness, noun

Words Nearby assertive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use assertive in a sentence

  • She was more self-important and self-assertive, and Zizi wondered if she had learned something definite against some suspect.

    In the Onyx Lobby | Carolyn Wells
  • Presently, with her alert, rather assertive blue eyes she saw Kitty, and came forward.

  • This discussion is necessarily didactic and assertive for it is impossible to prove or disprove any of these postulates.

    The Inhumanity of Socialism | Edward F. Adams
  • He was an absolute positivist; his positivism did not make him self-assertive nor peremptory; on the contrary, it oppressed him.

  • His taste in literature was uniformly bad, but very definite, and far more assertive than his views on biological questions.

    Tales Of Men And Ghosts | Edith Wharton

British Dictionary definitions for assertive

assertive

/ (əˈsɜːtɪv) /


adjective
  1. confident and direct in claiming one's rights or putting forward one's views

  2. given to making assertions or bold demands; dogmatic or aggressive

Derived forms of assertive

  • assertively, adverb
  • assertiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012