accentuate

[ ak-sen-choo-eyt ]

/ ækˈsɛn tʃuˌeɪt /

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verb (used with object), ac·cen·tu·at·ed, ac·cen·tu·at·ing.

to give emphasis or prominence to.

to mark or pronounce with an accent.

Nearby words

accent, accent mark, accented, accentor, accentual, accentuate, accentuation, accentuator, accept, acceptability, acceptable

Origin of accentuate

1725–35; < Medieval Latin accentuātus intoned (past participle of accentuāre). See accent, -ate¹

Related formso·ver·ac·cen·tu·ate, verb (used with object), o·ver·ac·cen·tu·at·ed, o·ver·ac·cen·tu·at·ing.re·ac·cen·tu·ate, verb (used with object), re·ac·cen·tu·at·ed, re·ac·cen·tu·at·ing.un·ac·cen·tu·at·ed, adjectivewell-ac·cen·tu·at·ed, adjective

Can be confusedaccent accentuate assent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for accentuated

Her pixie haircut, a few months post-chemo, accentuated her ski-slope nose and flirty smile.
The Stripper Who Lost a Breast|Melissa Lion|August 21, 2009|DAILY BEAST
These tales only accentuated the agony she felt whenever she was forced to concentrate her thoughts upon actualities.
Joyce of the North Woods|Harriet T. Comstock
There was an air of high breeding about the delicate features which, curiously enough, was accentuated by the unshaven chin.
Bat Wing|Sax Rohmer
She listened, drawing in her breath with a little sobbing sound—but that was only the result of accentuated dramatic satisfaction.
The History of Sir Richard Calmady|Lucas Malet

Her face appeared smaller than ever, and her light hair was accentuated by the dark color of the uniform.
The Meadow-Brook Girls Under Canvas|Janet Aldridge
Then silence crept in between us, accentuated by the brooding stillness of the forest.
In Search of the Unknown|Robert W. Chambers

British Dictionary definitions for accentuated

accentuate

/ (ækˈsɛntʃʊˌeɪt) /

verb

(tr) to stress or emphasize

Derived Formsaccentuation, noun

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

Word Origin and History for accentuated

accentuate

1731, from Medieval Latin accentuatus, past participle of accentuare "to accent," from Latin accentus (see accent (n.)). Originally "to pronounce with an accent;" meaning "emphasize" is recorded from 1865.

You've got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between

["Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive," 1944, music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by Johnny Mercer]

Related: Accentuated; accentuating.