accentuate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to give emphasis or prominence to.
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to place the stress or emphasis on (a particular syllable or word) when pronouncing it or showing its pronunciation.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of accentuate
First recorded in 1725–35; from Medieval Latin accentuātus intoned (past participle of accentuāre ); see accent, -ate 1
Explanation
To accentuate something is to emphasize it. If you want someone to know you’re from the American South, accentuate your accent by laying it on thick, y’all. When you accentuate, you draw attention to something. You could wear a green shirt to accentuate your green eyes, for example. You can also accentuate words when you give them added stress. An actor might accentuate certain words in a monologue in order to emphasize the character's anger. This word traces all the way back to the Latin verb canere, "to sing."
Vocabulary lists containing accentuate
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 1
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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.
"Accentuate the positive, not the negative," she said in 2018.
From Fox News • Dec. 12, 2021
Some of his hit songs include "Pennies From Heaven," "It’s Been a Long, Long Time," "Don’t Fence Me In" and "Accentuate the Positive."
From Fox News • Oct. 11, 2021
Accentuate and preserve natural elements coating the 340 acres.
From Washington Times • Jan. 5, 2020
Accentuate the charity angle and let the competition speak for itself.
From Golf Digest • Nov. 26, 2018
All the while I was talking to the reporter, I kept our instructions in mind: Accentuate the positive—don’t complain too much.
From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
