assumption
noun
Simple meaning
Something you believe is true without proof.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhsuhmpshuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əˈsʌmpʃən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The act of assuming or taking for granted
“Your assumption that I would agree was unwarranted.”
The act of taking for granted, or supposing a thing without proof; a supposition; an unwarrantable claim.
The act of taking possession of or power over something
“His assumption of office coincided with the trouble in Cuba.”
The act of assuming, or taking to or upon oneself; the act of taking up or adopting.
The thing supposed; a postulate, or proposition assumed; a supposition.
Celebration in the Roman Catholic Church of the Virgin Mary's being taken up into heaven when her earthly life ended; corresponds to the Dormition in the Eastern Orthodox Church
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The act of assuming or taking for granted
Used this way, assumption is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“Your assumption that I would agree was unwarranted.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “assumption that …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: assumption that …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use assumption
- “On the assumption that he has been injured we can infer that he will not play.”noun
- “Your assumption that I would agree was unwarranted.”noun
- “His assumption of office coincided with the trouble in Cuba.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Celebration in the Roman Catholic Church of the Virgin Mary's being taken up into heaven when her earthly life ended.
An assumption that is basic to an argument.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.