accentuate

[ ak-sen-choo-eyt ]

/ ækˈsɛn tʃuˌeɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR accentuate ON THESAURUS.COM

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 accentuating

Often by accentuating her thinness, a woman can make an effect as type, which gives her distinction.
Woman as Decoration|Emily Burbank
The rare whirr and explosion of a shell only had the effect of accentuating the intervening peace.
Mud and Khaki|Vernon Bartlett
They arise in a dermal keel which is developed in a web fitting and accentuating the undulatory motion of the body.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)|David Starr Jordan
The searchlight still shot steadily, a golden bar of light athwart the darkness and accentuating it by contrast.
The Radio Boys on Secret Service Duty|Gerald Breckenridge

Old maids have a special talent for accentuating the words and actions which their dislikes suggest to them.
The Vicar of Tours|Honore de Balzac

British Dictionary definitions for accentuating

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 accentuating

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.

accentuate

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

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Origin of accentuate

Examples from the Web for accentuating

British Dictionary definitions for accentuating

accentuate

verb

Word Origin and History for accentuating

accentuate