Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

assumption

American  
[uh-suhmp-shuhn] / əˈsʌmp ʃən /

noun

  1. something taken for granted; a supposition.

    a correct assumption.

    Synonyms:
    theory, postulate, guess, conjecture, hypothesis, presupposition
  2. the act of taking for granted or supposing.

    Synonyms:
    presupposition, presumption
  3. the act of taking to or upon oneself.

    Synonyms:
    acceptance
  4. the act of taking possession of something.

    the assumption of power.

    Synonyms:
    usurpation, appropriation, seizure
  5. arrogance; presumption.

    Synonyms:
    gall, forwardness, effrontery
  6. the taking over of another's debts or obligations.

  7. Ecclesiastical.

    1. (often initial capital letter) the bodily taking up into heaven of the Virgin Mary.

    2. (initial capital letter) a feast commemorating this, celebrated on August 15.

  8. Logic. the minor premise of a syllogism.


assumption 1 British  
/ əˈsʌmpʃən /

noun

  1. the act of taking something for granted or something that is taken for granted

  2. an assuming of power or possession of something

  3. arrogance; presumption

  4. logic a statement that is used as the premise of a particular argument but may not be otherwise accepted Compare axiom

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Assumption 2 British  
/ əˈsʌmpʃən /

noun

  1. the taking up of the Virgin Mary (body and soul) into heaven when her earthly life was ended

  2. the feast commemorating this, celebrated by Roman Catholics on Aug 15

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • assumptive adjective
  • assumptively adverb
  • misassumption noun
  • nonassumption noun
  • overassumption noun
  • preassumption noun
  • reassumption noun
  • self-assumption noun
  • superassumption noun

Etymology

Origin of assumption

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English assumpcioun, assompcioun, assumsion, from Latin assūmptiōn- (stem of assūmptiō ), equivalent to assūmpt(us) “taken up” (past participle of assūmere ) + -iōn- noun suffix; assume, -ion

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That would complicate the job for the Federal Reserve and other major central banks, which have cut interest rates in recent years under the assumption that the worst of postpandemic inflation was behind them.

From The Wall Street Journal

Together, these findings challenge long standing assumptions about iron sources in the Southern Ocean as the planet warms.

From Science Daily

The implicit assumption is that earnings are driven primarily by procurement wins and geopolitical events.

From MarketWatch

Their findings show that at least one microbe can tolerate ambiguity in its genetic code, overturning a central assumption in biology.

From Science Daily

Simplistic investing in a sector ETF is based on the assumption that the component stocks accurately discount all their risks and future returns.

From Barron's