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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

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 assert The lawsuit asserts that Optum owns and operates SCA Health, a national chain of surgery centers that employed Gaw and operates the Outpatient Surgery Center of La Jolla. Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2025 At the time, the Trump administration asserted that Soleimani was directing an imminent attack against U.S. assets in the region, but officials have not provided clear evidence to support that claim. Jeffrey Fields, The Conversation, 18 June 2025 That hasn’t sat well with Trump, who has continued his call for lower interest rates, asserting there is no inflation. Rob Wile, NBC news, 18 June 2025 The Biden Department of Education’s fact sheet—which was not a law or a regulation promulgated through agency rule-making—asserted colleges paying athletes for use of their NIL ought to count as athletic financial assistance within the meaning of Title IX. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for assert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assert
Verb
  • Strickland even publicly declared his support for Trump after a win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in June 2024.
    Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2025
  • He was widely declared unready for the tall task of being a No. 2 on a contender.
    Marcus Thompson II, New York Times, 17 June 2025
Verb
  • Democrats, led by Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, had argued that in recent decades Congress gradually surrendered war-making powers to the president.
    Robert Jimison, New York Times, 28 June 2025
  • Justice Amy Coney Barrett argued only the Supreme Court can provide such universal relief.
    Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • In recent years, Iran has refused to engage in direct discussions with U.S. officials about its nuclear program and instead has insisted on indirect talks, with each government relaying messages through intermediaries.
    NBC News, NBC news, 20 June 2025
  • The barrage led Israel’s defense minister to overtly threaten Iran’s supreme leader. Israel, meanwhile, struck Iran’s heavy water reactor, part of the country’s nuclear program, which its government insists is meant for peaceful purposes only.
    Elena Becatoros, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • Watkins’ conviction was overturned in 2023, affirming his innocence after years of efforts by his family and the Georgia Innocence Project, according to the lawsuit.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 6 June 2025
  • Illinois hospital emergency departments must continue to provide abortions when necessary to pregnant women whose health is in danger, despite a change in federal guidance earlier this week, state leaders affirmed Wednesday.
    Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • Hill contends the Bills are afraid to cover him man-to-man.
    Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 23 June 2025
  • As strangers moments prior, the men had both been nervous that each another might be contending for the same lots, and one of them scooted to a seat farther away to ease the tension.
    Emma Bowman, NPR, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • Alexander Bublik captured his first ATP Tour title of the 2025 campaign by downing Daniil Medvedev in straight sets, to claim the Halle Open for a second time in three years.
    Leon Imber, New York Times, 22 June 2025
  • Cassie Ventura's friend claimed the two had been working on a clothing line with Diamond Supply Company.
    Lauryn Overhultz , Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2025
Verb
  • The holiday marks the date in 1865 – more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation – that Major General Gordon Granger and 2,000 Union Army troops came to Galveston Bay, Texas, to proclaim freedom for more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state.
    Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 20 June 2025
  • In front of an excited crowd of Venezuelans in Miami in 2019, the president proclaimed that Maduro’s days were numbered.
    Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • Sales tools now must continuously reason from real-time company activities across the web, capturing nuanced signals indicating active buying intent.
    Fenil Suchak, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
  • Peters reasoned that with Philadelphia having three first-round picks, it could be emboldened to take that kind of chance late in the first round, even though the Flyers do have some young goaltending (and specifically some young Russian goaltenders) in the system already.
    The Athletic NHL Staff, New York Times, 20 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Assert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assert. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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