What does assailed mean?
"Assailed" is the past tense and past participle of the verb "assail," meaning to attack — whether with weapons or with words. In its literal sense it describes a violent physical assault, often on a stronghold or position; in its far more frequent figurative sense it denotes intense, sustained criticism or verbal attack, as when a politician is assailed by opponents or a book is assailed by reviewers. It also carries a third sense: to be assailed by something intangible, such as doubt, fear, grief, or even an overpowering smell or clamor, meaning to be beset or overwhelmed by it. The word is formal and somewhat literary in tone, lending gravity to both journalism and prose, and it derives from the Latin "assilire," meaning to leap upon — the same root that gives us "assault" and "salient."
verb (past tense and past participle of 'assail')Attacked physically or violently; criticized harshly or persistently; or assailed in the sense of being troubled or beset by something, such as doubts, fears, or questions.
- To have attacked someone physically or violently.
- To have criticized someone harshly, persistently, or vehemently.
- To have been beset or troubled by something intangible, such as doubts, fears, smells, or noise.
"The senator was assailed by reporters demanding answers about the leaked memo."
"Enemy forces assailed the fortress at dawn, breaching its northern wall within hours."
"Plagued by self-doubt, she felt assailed by questions she could not answer."
When critics 'assail' someone, they're doing verbally what the word's Latin ancestor described soldiers doing with ladders — leaping at city walls.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of assailed
"Assailed" comes from Middle English "assaillen," borrowed from Old French "assailer," which derived from the Vulgar Latin *adsaliare, formed on Latin "salire" (to leap). Its earliest English use dates from around the late thirteenth century. The same Latin root "salire" produced cognates such as "assault" (via Italian), "salient," "resilient," and "result."
Related word forms
How assailed is actually used
Formal to literary in register; rare in casual conversation. The figurative sense — being assailed by doubts, grief, or an onslaught of questions — is now more common than the literal sense of physical attack.
Easily confused with assailed
'Assailed' can mean either a physical attack or sustained verbal criticism, while 'assaulted' refers almost exclusively to physical violence.