上述单词均有侵犯和攻击的含义。aggression多指无故的违反《联合国宪章》规定的战争行为，如侵略别国的行为[1]。attack 多指企图伤害或消灭他人[2]，常在他人无防备或准备情况下进行攻击。assault为猛烈攻击，尤指近距离的身体接触和暴力[3]，常针对某个人或少数人，且常带有因嫉妒、怨恨等个人情感，其突然性和出奇不意性往往比attack更强，因此attack能用surprise修饰，而用surprise去修饰assault则为累赘。offensive 有时可与attack互换使用，有时则指一种大规模的军事进攻行动[4]。
    
[1 ] "The use of armed force by a state against the sovereignty，territory integrity，or political independence of another state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Charter of the United Nations. ” Cf. James E. Clapp, Random House Webster's Dictionary of Law, at p. 20, Random House (2000).
[2]“To try to hurt or harm someone. ” Cf. P. H. Collin, Dictionary of Law，at p. 37, Peter Collin Publishing (1993 ).
[3 ] "Assault typically suggests close physical contact and extreme violence，especially against one or a few people. " Cf. The Editors of the Reader's Digest, Use the Right Word, at p. 20，The Reader's Digest Association Proprietary Ltd, (1971).
[4 ] "In some contexts it is interchangeable with attack, but in others it applies to a
large-scale co-ordinated military campaign of men and materiel. ” Id. at p. 11.