Assertive
/əˈsɜːr.tɪv/noun
Having or showing a confident, forceful, and self-assured manner.
Did you know?Its ancestor, Latin *asserere*, originally meant to claim, attach, or seize something as one’s own, so the word carries an ancient energy of taking possession by declaration.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
asserere
“to claim, affirm, or join to oneself”
Late Latin
Latin
assertus
“claimed, defended, maintained”
14th Century
English
assert
“to state strongly or defend as true”
17th Century
English
assertive
“disposed to assert or maintain; confidently forceful”
Modern English
English
assertive
“confidently self-assured and direct”