ASSAIL Synonyms: 122 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'assail' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of assail are assault , attack , bombard , and storm . While all these words mean "to make an onslaught upon," assail implies attempting to break down resistance by repeated blows or shots. // assailed the enemy with artillery fire

Q: When is it sensible to use 'assault' instead of 'assail'?

The words assault and assail are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, assault suggests a direct attempt to overpower by suddenness and violence of onslaught. // commandos assaulted the building from all sides

Q: When can 'attack' be used instead of 'assail'?

In some situations, the words attack and assail are roughly equivalent. However, attack implies taking the initiative in a struggle. // plan to attack the town at dawn

Q: When is 'bombard' a more appropriate choice than 'assail'?

The words bombard and assail can be used in similar contexts, but bombard applies to attacking with bombs or shells. // bombarded the city nightly

Q: When could 'storm' be used to replace 'assail'?

The synonyms storm and assail are sometimes interchangeable, but storm implies attempting to break into a defended position. // preparing to storm the fortress

assail

verb

ə-ˈsāl

Definition of assail

as in to attack

to criticize harshly and usually publicly the union organizers assailed the chemical company for failing to provide a safe working environment

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to assault

to take sudden, violent action against the small birds assailed the larger one that had threatened their nest

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb assail contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of assail are assault, attack, bombard, and storm. While all these words mean "to make an onslaught upon," assail implies attempting to break down resistance by repeated blows or shots.

assailed the enemy with artillery fire

When is it sensible to use assault instead of assail?

The words assault and assail are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, assault suggests a direct attempt to overpower by suddenness and violence of onslaught.

commandos assaulted the building from all sides

When can attack be used instead of assail?

In some situations, the words attack and assail are roughly equivalent. However, attack implies taking the initiative in a struggle.

plan to attack the town at dawn

When is bombard a more appropriate choice than assail?

The words bombard and assail can be used in similar contexts, but bombard applies to attacking with bombs or shells.

bombarded the city nightly

When could storm be used to replace assail?

The synonyms storm and assail are sometimes interchangeable, but storm implies attempting to break into a defended position.

preparing to storm the fortress

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of assail Even the urologist’s office has athletic jerseys hanging in the treatment room so that men’s masculinity will not be assailed. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 16 July 2026 Roberts once signed on to a Kagan dissent that assailed the shadow docket. — Ken B. Morales, ProPublica, 1 July 2026 Lander has assailed Goldman for accepting AIPAC’s endorsement and for voting to send military aid to Israel, which Lander has vowed to oppose. — Russell Berman, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026 The former increases excitability and preparedness for movement in response to the tennis equivalent of being assailed by a woolly mammoth. — Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for assail

Recent Examples of Synonyms for assail

Verb

Another warehouse belonging to the Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries was also attacked to the east of Moscow, Vorobyov said, with a fire breaking out at the facility.

— David Brennan, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
Crossing threat Undoubtedly, Coventry’s best attacking moments come from wide positions.

— Liam Tharme, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of attack

Verb

Hanoi, Vietnam — Vietnam has charged a man with rape after an American student said she was assaulted while in her bed during a group holiday.

— CBS News, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
Pleitez would later tell police she was being confronted by Ahumada and others, who were assaulting her 20-year-old companion and attempting to drag him from the car.

— Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of assault

Verb

Federal agents raided a Miami Gardens home this week and found a machine gun-making factory, along with homemade, automatic weapons and devices used to switch semiautomatic weapons to fully-automatic firearms, according to a criminal complaint.

— David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 14 Aug. 2026
It was raided in 2003 amid an investigation by police regarding the late musician’s relationship with a minor and molestation allegations.

— Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of raid

Verb

But Ezra Klein’s commentary on the movie did lead me to think about the broader issues the movie raises, which strike me as interesting and important.

— Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post, 21 Aug. 2026
Iran still strikes at tankers, and expects some form of control over the strait to endure even after a diplomatic settlement.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of strike

Verb

Teams of soldiers on Tuesday stormed Tambopata National Park, a spot in the Peruvian Amazon in the southeastern Madre de Dios region visited by an average of 40,000 tourists per year.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
Phoenix reportedly stormed off the set of Haynes’ movie in July 2024 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

— Glenn Garner, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of storm

Verb

Amanda Hernandez, the wife of one of the men who posed as a DTE utility worker and was convicted of robbing and killing a Rochester Hills businessman in 2024, was sentenced on Wednesday for her role in the crime.

— Alysia Burgio, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
An unassuming woman waltzed through their offices and allegedly robbed the institution of $15 million, armed not with a weapon, but flimsy paperwork and a basket of pies.

— Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of rob

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assail

assailable

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“Assail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assail. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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