accentuate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
accentuates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
accentuated,
past participle, past
-
accentuating
present participle
-
to give emphasis or prominence to.
-
to place the stress or emphasis on (a particular syllable or word) when pronouncing it or showing its pronunciation.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
accentuatesimple
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accentuatessimple
-
have accentuatedperfect
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has accentuatedperfect
-
am accentuatingprogressive
-
are accentuatingprogressive
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is accentuatingprogressive
-
have been accentuatingperfect progressive
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has been accentuatingperfect progressive
Past
-
accentuatedsimple
-
had accentuatedperfect
-
was accentuatingprogressive
-
were accentuatingprogressive
-
had been accentuatingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
The kitchen is lit with huge skylights that accentuate the natural wood beams and bring a beautiful, bright feeling into the space.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
In a fuchsia sweater, flowy cheetah-print skirt, and cobalt-colored glasses that accentuate her blue eyes, Andrews projects a surprising equanimity considering all she’s endured in the last five years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2026
But there are plenty of positives to accentuate as the calendar turns.
From Barron's ● Jan. 1, 2026
Clearly, Auggie’s story is shaped to accentuate the positive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 31, 2025
What I found was a black man with a warm disposition and a booming voice, who bristled with energy and was constantly in motion, his hands swooping like birds in flight to accentuate his points.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
For Emma Moore, chilling red wine makes it taste more refreshing and accentuates its fruitiness.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Hawley embraces “wonderful peacock” 1850s menswear shapes: Victor’s puffed-out chest accentuates the “wasp waist” likening him to a matador.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026
Nevertheless, “Bug” is ingeniously structured to stoke suspense, and Mr. Cromer’s impeccable production accentuates the dexterous manner by which Mr. Letts makes plausible its harrowing climax.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
Upon entering the home, guests are greeted with an open floor plan that accentuates the expansive living area, with double French doors that allow natural light to flood the space.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2025
He’s dressed in a slim-fitting black suit that accentuates his broad shoulders, a black shirt, and no tie.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
Adam Silverman’s pitiless lighting accentuated the mood and brought the characters into strong focus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
This will be accentuated by small-cap stocks’ particular sensitivity to moves in bond yields as well as the Nasdaq 100 weakness.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
Beshir highlights the Pollock-inspired salad course, which is accentuated with a jazz soundtrack, as the thesis of the evening.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Such concerns are accentuated by AI chatbots being used for support and even intimacy, as developers seek to broaden their appeal.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
I took the gardenia out, pinned it behind my right ear, where, I thought, it accentuated my intensely black eyes.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
The proposal already triggered a fierce debate, accentuating the divide between the rich and poor in a state that’s expensive to live in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
Brown said this weakness — as well as other technical signs accentuating how much the financial sector is underperforming — gives him reason for pause.
From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026
Some of their most well-known bits, like “Computer Dating,” came from hyperbolizing their backgrounds, with Jerry emphasizing his Jewish roots and Anne accentuating her Irish-Catholic heritage.
From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2025
Slot was in defiant mood in the aftermath of another disappointment, going through his full range of brave faces while accentuating the positive in the face of evidence to the contrary.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2025
Her hair was parted on the right and came down to her shoulders, accentuating the mole by her lips.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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.
