Search the Dictionary

The act of ascribing, imputing, or affirming to belong; also, that which is ascribed.

To affirm; to declare with assurance, or plainly and strongly; to state positively; to aver; to asseverate. Nothing is more shameful . . . than to assert anything to be done without a cause. Ray.

The act of asserting, or that which is asserted; positive declaration or averment; affirmation; statement asserted; position advanced. There is a difference between assertion and demonstration. Macaulay.

Positive; affirming confidently; affirmative; peremptory. In a confident and assertive form. Glanvill. As*sert"ive*ly, adv. -- As*sert"ive*ness, n.

One who asserts or avers; one who maintains or vindicates a claim or a right; an affirmer, supporter, or vindicator; a defender; an asserter. The assertors of liberty said not a word. Macaulay. Faithful assertor of thy country's cause. Prior.

Affirming; maintaining. Arguments . . . assertory, not probatory. Jer. Taylor. An assertory, not a promissory, declaration. Bentham. A proposition is assertory, when it enounces what is known as actual. Sir W. Hamilton.

To affirm or aver positively, or with solemnity.

The act of asseverating, or that which is asseverated; positive affirmation or assertion; solemn declaration. Another abuse of the tongue I might add, -- vehement asseverations upon slight and trivial occasions. Ray.

To bear witness to; to certify; to affirm to be true or genuine; as, to attest the truth of a writing, a copy of record. Facts . . . attested by particular pagan authors. Addison.

To affirm with confidence; to declare in a positive manner, as in confidence of asserting the truth. It is sufficient that the very fact hath its foundation in truth, as I do seriously aver is the case. Fielding. Then all averred I had killed the bird. Coleridge.

The act of averring, or that which is averred; affirmation; positive assertion. Signally has this averment received illustration in the course of recent events. I. Taylor.

To declare or assert positively and as matter of fact; to affirm openly. If this which he avouches does appear. Shak. Such antiquities could have been avouched for the Irish. Spenser.

An affirmative vote; one who votes in the affirmative; as, "To call for the ayes and noes;" "The ayes have it."

Yes; yea; -- a word expressing assent, or an affirmative answer to a question. It is much used in viva voce voting in legislative bodies, etc.

s forms of the syllogism. It indicates a syllogism whose three propositions are universal affirmatives. Whately.

A form or mode of syllogism of which the first proposition is a universal affirmative, and the other two are particular negative.

Assent to a proposition or affirmation, or the acceptance of a fact, opinion, or assertion as real or true, without immediate personal knowledge; reliance upon word or testimony; partial or full assurance without positive knowledge or absolute certainty; persuasion; conviction; confidence; as, belief of a witness; the…

To draw back from; to deny from fear. [Obs.] He now blenched what before he affirmed. Evelyn.

he first and third propositions are particular negatives, and the middle term a universal affirmative. Baroko and Bocardo have been stumbling blocks to the logicians. Bowen.

Absolutely; directly; expressly; positively; as, to affirm categorically.