asserted

1. 1
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of assert.

   The witness asserted her innocence throughout the trial.

   These claims were asserted without any supporting evidence.

   Note

   Every use of assert passes through this form, including the specialist ones. Programmers say a condition is asserted when the code declares it must hold at that point, and engineers say a signal is asserted when a voltage is set on a line. The reflexive use carries over too: she asserted herself. Unlike the adjective of unproven claims, the participle records an act of asserting and casts no doubt on it.

2. 2
   adjective

   Stated or claimed as true, especially put forward with confidence but lacking any supporting proof.

   The asserted benefits of the product were never actually tested.

   Her asserted authority over the team was quickly challenged.

   Similaralleged, supposed, purported

   Oppositeproven, verified

   Note

   A word that keeps its distance from the claim it describes. Asserted rights, asserted ownership and asserted authority are things someone says they have, not things anyone has yet granted. That is why it gathers around disputes: their asserted claims were challenged in court. Put it before the noun when you want to report a claim without vouching for it.

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