Words / C1

uh-SURT/əˈsɜːt/

To assert is to state something as true with firmness, often without proving it in the same breath. Native academic style notes that a writer asserts a claim, then must support it. Claim is close but can sound more tentative; declare is more public. Assert yourself means insist on your rights — a different, interpersonal sense.

Meaning

To state something firmly as true.

Examples

• “She asserted that the data were wrong.”
• “The authors assert a causal link they have not yet shown.”
• “She asserted her right to see the file.”

Good to know

assert that + clause. Close: claim. assert yourself = insist on your rights.

Near in meaning

claim

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