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Synonym Chooser

How is the word assert distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of assert are affirm, avow, declare, and protest. While all these words mean "to state positively usually in anticipation of denial or objection," assert implies stating confidently without need for proof or regard for evidence.

asserted that modern music is just noise

When could affirm be used to replace assert?

The words affirm and assert can be used in similar contexts, but affirm implies conviction based on evidence, experience, or faith.

affirmed the existence of an afterlife

When might avow be a better fit than assert?

The synonyms avow and assert are sometimes interchangeable, but avow stresses frank declaration and acknowledgment of personal responsibility for what is declared.

avowed that all investors would be repaid in full

In what contexts can declare take the place of assert?

While in some cases nearly identical to assert, declare stresses open or public statement.

declared her support for the candidate

When is it sensible to use protest instead of assert?

While the synonyms protest and assert are close in meaning, protest emphasizes affirming in the face of denial or doubt.

protested that he really had been misquoted

Examples 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 assert Vice President Harris used her outfits to assert her leadership and warded off the mosaic of stereotypes often used against her race and gender. Andrea Bossi, Essence, 6 Nov. 2024 With the Trump family in tighter control of the Republican Party, Trump is in a stronger position to assert his power, with less chance of internal opposition. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024 Those settlements show another, quieter front in China’s expanding efforts to assert its control over disputed, peripheral territories – also playing out in the South and East China Seas – as Chinese leader Xi Jinping seeks to bolster national security and enhance China’s position over its rivals. Simone McCarthy, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024 While Venu’s backers have promoted the service as being something new, the lower court asserted that the concept was actually not new, and was also merely an aggregation of 15 linear network feeds. Dade Hayes, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for assert 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assert
Verb
  • The virus’ spread prompted the World Health Organization in August to declare a public health emergency of international concern, particularly as the virus spread to several other neighboring countries in Africa.
    Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 17 Nov. 2024
  • Edgewell's board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.15 per common share, payable on January 8, 2025, to shareholders of record as of December 3, 2024.
    Quartz Bot, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • The companies – including Alphabet's Google, whose subsidiary YouTube is exempt because it is widely used in schools – had argued the legislation should be postponed until after the age verification trial.
    Byron Kaye and Praveen Menon, USA TODAY, 29 Nov. 2024
  • However, some nutrition experts have argued that the claim that seed oils are harmful to health is false.
    Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Built on the grounds of an ancient convent, the company insists that the inner workings of the factory remain secret.
    Sofia Celeste, WWD, 21 Nov. 2024
  • However, the victims' parents on Monday insisted that the school was the fourth culprit in the massacre.
    Christina Coulter, Fox News, 19 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • The Texas Supreme Court affirmed that the laws, which were passed in the early 1900s and amended in 1925, could be enforced.
    Bayliss Wagner, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
  • With that, the Tax Court affirmed its holding that the IRS lacks the statutory authority to assess the penalty under section 6038(b)(1).
    Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 19 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Smollett's legal team contended in their appeal that the involvement of a special prosecutor was improper after the Cook County State's Attorney had initially dismissed the charges.
    Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
  • Trump supporters will contend that his cultural conservatism and promise of a better economy helped turn the tide.
    Niall Stanage, The Hill, 6 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • The Canadian hitmaker, who previously claimed the No. 1 spot in 2018 with Shawn Mendes and reached No. 2 with 2020’s Wonder, remains a force to be reckoned with on the ARIA charts.
    Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 22 Nov. 2024
  • Per Politico, Bondi’s reelection campaign received a $25,000 donation from the Donald J. Trump Foundation in 2013, at the same time her office was receiving complaints from Floridians who claimed they had been scammed by Trump University.
    Glamour, Glamour, 22 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • The bottom line is that critics and skeptics proclaim that AI sovereignty is either infeasible or improper.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
  • When apartheid finally collapsed in the 1990s, Nelson Mandela proudly proclaimed the return of his country to the international community.
    Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 20 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • The American people, a majority of them in fact, took this into consideration and apparently reasoned that this was not disqualifying behavior on the part of Trump.
    The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 14 Nov. 2024
  • Gutierrez reasoned that jurors were confused by the testimony, including with respect to economic terms, and were misled by hypotheticals.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 5 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near assert

Cite this Entry

“Assert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assert. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on assert

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