set upon vs assail

set upon and assail both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
set upon	No	No	Yes	No
assail	No	No	Yes	No

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

Other hypernyms of set upon include assault, attack, set on.

set upon (verb)	assail (verb)
assail or attack on all sides:	attack in speech or writing
	attack someone physically or emotionally
	launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with