Meanings
comparative more assertive · superlative most assertive
- Boldly self-assured; confident without being aggressive.
Hence the ubiquity of Priapus himself as a sculptural representative of the generative principle, populated the Roman gardens, assertive in ithyphallic pose.
1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page iii - Pungent.
an assertive taste or odor
plural assertives
- grammarAn assertion.
Proportionative assertives occur in styles of all kinds, from the least formal to the most formal. Satisfactory declarative equivalents do not exist.
1971, Ralph B. Long, Dorothy R. Long, The System of English Grammar (page 113)
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveaggressively self-assured
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Medieval Latinassertīvus
- Englishassertive
Borrowed from Medieval Latin assertīvus. Synchronically analyzable as assert + -ive.
More words from Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian самоуверен, настоятелен
- самоуверен (samouveren)boldly self-assured
- настоятелен (nastojatelen)boldly self-assured
- напорист (naporist)boldly self-assured
Catalan assertiu
- assertiuboldly self-assured
Czech asertivní, průbojný
- asertivníboldly self-assured
- průbojnýboldly self-assured
- kategorickýboldly self-assured
- rozhodnýboldly self-assured
- důraznýboldly self-assured
Danish assertiv, selvsikker
- assertivboldly self-assured
- selvsikkerboldly self-assured
Dutch assertief, mondig
- assertiefboldly self-assured
- mondigboldly self-assured
Esperanto ordonema
- ordonemaboldly self-assured
Finnish itsevarma, jämäkkä
- itsevarmaboldly self-assured
- jämäkkäboldly self-assured
French assuré, assertif
- assuréboldly self-assured
- assertifboldly self-assured
German assertiv, selbstbewusst
- assertivboldly self-assured
- selbstbewusstboldly self-assured
- durchsetzungsfähigboldly self-assured
- bestimmtboldly self-assured
- affirmativboldly self-assured
- bejahendboldly self-assured
- positivboldly self-assured
- zuversichtlichboldly self-assured
- forschboldly self-assured
- herausforderndboldly self-assured
- dogmatischboldly self-assured
- auffallendboldly self-assured
Hebrew אַסֶרְטִיבִי
- אַסֶרְטִיבִי (asertívi)boldly self-assured
Irish forránach
- forránachboldly self-assured
Italian assertivo
- assertivoboldly self-assured
Māori hikareia
- hikareiaboldly self-assured
Norwegian Bokmål fremoverlent
- fremoverlentboldly self-assured
Polish pewny siebie, pewny swego
- pewny siebieboldly self-assured
- pewny swegoboldly self-assured
- asertywnyboldly self-assured
Portuguese assertivo, firme
- assertivoboldly self-assured
- firmeboldly self-assured
Romanian asertiv
- asertivboldly self-assured
Russian напо́ристый, самоуве́ренный
- напо́ристый (napóristyj)boldly self-assured
- самоуве́ренный (samouvérennyj)boldly self-assured
- утверди́тельный (utverdítelʹnyj)boldly self-assured
Scottish Gaelic dian-bhriathrach
- dian-bhriathrachboldly self-assured
Spanish asertivo, aseverativo
- asertivoboldly self-assured
- aseverativoboldly self-assured
Turkish iddialı
- iddialıboldly self-assured
Ukrainian асертивний
- асертивний (asertyvnyj)boldly self-assured
Cite this entry
assertive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/assertive
“assertive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/assertive. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “assertive,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/assertive.
Source: assertive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.