What’s the difference between “assume” and “presume”? “Assume” is to “presume” as a brother is to a sister. The previous statement is an analogy, a comparison of how two things relate to each other. Analogies are used to explain or to clarify. For those who confuse “assume” and “presume,” an analogy is just the thing!
Just as a brother and sister have the same parents, “assume” and “presume” have the same etymological roots. “Assume” has Latin roots. It comes from a verb that means “to take up or adopt.” According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, one of its meanings, “to suppose, to take for granted as the basis of argument,” appeared in the late 1500s. Later, the word also came to mean “putting on an appearance.”
“Presume” derives from a Latin verb that means “to take upon oneself, to take liberty, or to take for granted.”
A brother and sister have similar features. “Assume” and “presume” are spelled in almost the same way, except for their prefixes. “Pre-” means “before.” The Online Etymology Dictionary suggests that the “as-” of assume might have been “ad-” originally. The “-ad” prefix means “to” or “up.”
A brother and sister are not interchangeable. Because of their unique personalities, parents may give them different chores. “Assume” and “presume” have different meanings and usages.
To assume means “to take for granted without proof.” To assume might also mean to take responsibility for a duty, to appropriate, or to undertake a task. The same verb refers to adopting qualities or pretending to do so. Elizabeth Gilbert illustrates the use of assume in these two quotes from her book, Eat, Pray, Love:
“I have a tendency not only to see the best in everyone, but to assume that everyone is emotionally capable of reaching his highest potential.”
“If I love you, I will carry for you all your pain, I will assume for you all your debts (in every definition of the word), I will protect you from your own insecurity, I will protect upon you all sorts of good qualities that you have never actually cultivated in yourself and I will buy Christmas presents for your entire family.”
To presume means “to act or to undertake with undue boldness, or without permission. In law, it refers to accepting something as true in the absence of proof of its falsity. Stephen King illustrates its use in On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft:
“It’s hard for me to believe that people who read very little (or not at all in some cases) should presume to write and expect people to like what they have written.”
Of course, brothers and sisters may share some responsibilities. Both “presume” and “assume” carry the thought of supposing or taking for granted that something is true.
“Presume not that I am the thing I was.
—William Shakespeare, Henry IV
“It was a matter of perspective, I began to see. The whole world was crazy; I’d flattered myself by assuming I was a semifinalist.”
—Wally Lamb, She’s Come Undone
To assume is to take responsibility or to adopt a characteristic. To presume is take undue liberties. In a legal context, it means to accept something as true. Both assume and presume mean to suppose or to take for granted.
Did the analogy help you learn the difference between “assume” and “presume”? Like brother and sister, they have the same parentage. While they share some definitions, they are unique as a brother and sister would also be. The next time you use either term, don’t assume that you are correct. Review the meanings again to make sure you are choosing the best word for the context.
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from Grammarly Blog
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