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Synonyms

diacritical

American  
[dahy-uh-krit-i-kuhl] / ˌdaɪ əˈkrɪt ɪ kəl /

adjective

  1. serving to distinguish; distinctive.

  2. capable of distinguishing.

  3. Phonetics. serving as a diacritic.


diacritical British  
/ ˌdaɪəˈkrɪtɪkəl /

adjective

  1. of or relating to a diacritic

  2. showing up a distinction

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of diacritical

First recorded in 1740–50; diacritic + -al 1

Vocabulary lists containing diacritical

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Out of respect for the previously banned Hawaiian language, we are using diacritical marks in this column that more accurately convey meaning and pronunciation.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 21, 2023

The 'e' vowel though had no diacritical mark, so was largely absent.

From BBC • Nov. 26, 2022

The correct Spanish pronunciation of “Angeleño” is “Ahn-hell-len-yo,” as dictated by the tilde, the diacritical mark above the second n.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 27, 2022

Long press on the touch keyboard to reveal the letter with various diacritical marks.

From The Verge • Apr. 26, 2022

Written Astrolinguish was awash in diacritical marks, with lots of umlauts, accents, and tildes.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

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