assert yourself

Meaning

1. 1verbintransitive

   to behave confidently and speak up for yourself, especially when others might not respect you

   Grammar: Always used with a reflexive pronoun: 'assert yourself', 'assert themselves'. It has no object.

   Patterns

   • assert yourself in a situation
   • assert yourself at work
   • learn to assert yourself

   If you want a promotion, you need to assert yourself in meetings.

   She found it hard to assert herself when her older colleagues were talking.

   The course teaches young people how to assert themselves without being aggressive.

Word forms

Common combinations

assert yourself in a meeting

He finally asserted himself in the meeting and shared his idea.

learn to assert yourself

Many people take a class to learn to assert themselves at work.

assert yourself politely

You can assert yourself politely by saying 'I'm afraid I disagree'.

find it hard to assert yourself

New employees often find it hard to assert themselves with senior staff.

Synonyms and how they differ

stand up for yourself

Very similar, but often used when someone is being criticized or treated unfairly.

speak up

Focuses on saying something, while 'assert yourself' is broader and includes confident behavior.

Opposites

Word family

assertive adjective

confident and willing to state your opinions

assertiveness noun

the quality of being confident and standing up for yourself

assertion noun

a confident statement that something is true

Commonly confused: assert yourself or insert yourself?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “assert yourself”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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