To assert something is to state it strongly and confidently, as if you are sure it is true.
It comes from Latin *asserere*, meaning 'to claim' or 'to declare', from *ad-* 'to' and *serere* 'to join'. It originally had a sense of 'claiming for oneself' or 'laying hold of' an idea or right.
When you assert something, you’re not just saying it—you’re staking your identity on it a little bit. That’s why assertive people feel powerful: they act as if their words have weight, and often, people treat them that way.
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