averment

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablelegal

   A firm statement that something is true, especially one a lawyer includes in a written claim.

   Grammar: A legal noun: an averment in the complaint.

   Patterns

   • an averment of something
   • an averment that

   The lawyer included an averment that the contract was breached.

   The court struck out an averment with no evidence behind it.

   Each averment in the pleading must be proved.

2. 2nouncountable or uncountableformal

   Any confident declaration that something is the case.

   Grammar: Formal and uncommon in everyday speech.

   Patterns

   • an averment of innocence

   His averment of innocence was met with doubt.

   The report rested on a bare averment, not data.

   She made a bold averment about the cause of the fire.

Word forms

Common combinations

make an averment

The witness made an averment under oath.

false averment

A false averment can harm a case.

general averment

A general averment was not enough to support the claim.

specific averments

The complaint lists specific averments of fraud.

deny an averment

The defendant denied each averment.

Synonyms and how they differ

assertion

Assertion is the common word for a firm claim, with no legal flavor.

allegation

Allegation is a claim of wrongdoing made without proof, a harsher and more specific word.

declaration

Declaration is a public or formal announcement, not limited to claims of fact.

affirmation

Affirmation emphasizes confirming something as true, often a solemn promise.

Opposites

Word family

aver verb

to state firmly that something is true

averred verb

the past tense of aver

averring verb

the -ing form of aver

unaverred adjective

rare, not stated as a fact

Commonly confused: averment or averse? averment or aversion?

Practice

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