assaultive
adjective
as·sault·ive
ə-ˈsȯl-tiv 
1
: of, relating to, or tending toward assault
assaultive behavior
2
: having an intense or abrasive effect on the senses or emotions
loud and assaultive music
assaultively
adverb
assaultiveness
noun
Examples of assaultive in a Sentence
with viciously assaultive prose the writer takes on her critics
Recent Examples on the Web
Corigliano’s symphony is assaultive in style and confrontational in intent.
—
Alex Ross, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
But attorney Gabi Silver, who previously represented one of the men in the original case before Hartig, said the judge made the appropriate call for a low-level, non-assaultive felony case against a client with no prior criminal record.
—Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 30 Aug. 2025
The record indicates that the instant offense has elements of brutality, violence, assaultive behavior or conscious selection of victim's vulnerability indicating a conscious disregard for the lives, safety, or property of others, such that the offender poses a continuing threat to public safety.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025
The effect is assaultive but clever, jolting listeners’ reflexes and then toying with their attention.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assaultive
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Alex Ross, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
But attorney Gabi Silver, who previously represented one of the men in the original case before Hartig, said the judge made the appropriate call for a low-level, non-assaultive felony case against a client with no prior criminal record.
—Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 30 Aug. 2025
The record indicates that the instant offense has elements of brutality, violence, assaultive behavior or conscious selection of victim's vulnerability indicating a conscious disregard for the lives, safety, or property of others, such that the offender poses a continuing threat to public safety.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025
The effect is assaultive but clever, jolting listeners’ reflexes and then toying with their attention.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assaultive
Cite this Entry
“Assaultive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assaultive. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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