LoginAttack vs. Assault
Both verbs mean to confront someone with violence and aggression, but they are used in different contexts. Follow the lesson to find out more.
Both 'attack' and 'assault' refer to taking offensive or aggressive actions to hurt somebody. However, 'attack' is used more generally to refer to any act of using violence while 'assault' is specifically concerned with physical and personal violence. This lesson will further clarify the difference between these two verbs.
Context of Use
'Assault' is commonly used to indicate personal acts of violence, when talking about using violence against an individual such as cases of domestic violence or brawl. It is mostly used in legal context, when discussing the act as a crime. Furthermore, it primarily conveys a physical and sudden connotation, often implying direct physical harm, such as hitting, striking, or physically threatening someone. 'Attack', on the other hand, can refer to a broader range of scenarios, including physical or non-physical as well as personal and impersonal acts of violence such as military attacks, terrorist attacks, or even animals attacking their prey. It often conveys the idea of taking hostile action or initiating aggression against someone or something and might involve physically advancing towards a person or target with the intention of causing harm, even if no actual harm is inflicted. Here are some examples:
The lion
You cannot use 'assault' in this sentence as it is concerned with personal and physical acts of violence between humans and not animals.
The army planned to
The mugger
Using 'attack' in this sentence would not convey the specific meaning of 'assault' as a physical attack and may imply that the mugger only moved toward the victim with aggression.
He must appear in court for
You can also use 'attack' in this sentence but the legal connotation of 'assault' as a crime would be lost.
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