as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
with viciously assaultive prose the writer takes on her critics
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of assaultive
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
There were no observed overt assaultive acts or movements displayed by [the man] on the video.
—
Josh Wood,
The Courier-Journal,
18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assaultive
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
There were no observed overt assaultive acts or movements displayed by [the man] on the video.
—
Josh Wood,
The Courier-Journal,
18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assaultive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assaultive
Adjective
-
Grey-zone tactics refer to a range of aggressive tactics that vary from navy ship patrols to drone flights, but fall short of direct combat.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 June 2026
-
That will be decided in the coming hours, as the Heat remains in aggressive pursuit of a trade for Antetokounmpo.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
22 June 2026
Adjective
-
The interim deal is meant to stop fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon where Israeli forces are battling the militant Hezbollah group.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 June 2026
-
Despite an October ceasefire between Israel and the militant group Hamas, the enclave has seen near-daily Israeli attacks that have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
Adjective
-
The complaint alleges that school officials at Southern Hills Middle School failed to stop two years of antisemitic harassment against an eighth grader even after investigations concluded the student faced a hostile environment.—
Robert McGreevy,
FOXNews.com,
23 June 2026
-
Create an internal incident map and begin tagging hostile actions according to the DISARM taxonomy.—
Alona Karpinska,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Assaultive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assaultive. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
