circumvent vs assail

circumvent and assail both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
circumvent	No	No	Yes	No
assail	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, assail is a hypernym of circumvent; that is, assail is a word with a broader meaning than circumvent:

circumvent: surround so as to force to give up
assail: launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with

Other hypernyms of circumvent include attack.

circumvent (verb)	assail (verb)
avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)	attack in speech or writing
beat through cleverness and wit	attack someone physically or emotionally
surround so as to force to give up	launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with