Overasserting

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Expressing oneself with excessive confidence or forcefulness, often claiming more than can be supported or justified; overstating opinions or facts beyond reasonable limits
2. Making statements or claims with undue insistence or exaggeration, suggesting a stronger certainty or authority than warranted; emphasizing points too strongly to the point of undermining credibility
3. Asserting positions or beliefs with disproportionate emphasis or intensity, frequently overstating truths or personal views in a manner that exceeds balanced or careful reasoning

Etymology: "Overasserting" is simply the present participle of "overassert," which is formed from the prefix "over-" attached to "assert." "Assert" comes from Latin "asserere," meaning to join to or claim as one's own, and the prefix "over-" carries its familiar sense of excess, here doing much the same job as in "overcook" or "overreact." The result is a plain, transparent formation: to assert something beyond what is reasonable or warranted.

Synonyms: overstating, overemphasizing, exaggerating, overdeclaring, overclaiming

Antonyms: understating, downplaying, minimizing, underemphasizing