emphasis

[em-fuh-sis]

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noun, plural em·pha·ses [em-fuh-seez] /ˈɛm fəˌsiz/.

special stress laid upon, or importance attached to, anything: The president's statement gave emphasis to the budgetary crisis.

something that is given great stress or importance: Morality was the emphasis of his speech.

Rhetoric.

special and significant stress of voice laid on particular words or syllables.
stress laid on particular words, by means of position, repetition, or other indication.

intensity or force of expression, action, etc.: Determination lent emphasis to his proposals.

prominence, as of form or outline: The background detracts from the emphasis of the figure.

Electronics. preemphasis.

Nearby words

Origin of emphasis

1565–75; < Latin < Greek émphasis indication, equivalent to em- em-² + phásis phasis

Related formsmis·em·pha·sis, noun, plural mis·em·pha·ses.re·em·pha·sis, noun, plural re·em·pha·ses.su·per·em·pha·sis, noun, plural su·per·em·pha·ses.

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

Examples from the Web for emphasis

Udall shifted his emphasis to the economy in the last weeks of the campaign, but it was too late.
A GOP Star Rises in Colorado, Beats Udall|Eleanor Clift|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When music had come into the discussion, the emphasis invariably was on rock sounds and players.
The Stacks: John Coltrane’s Mighty Musical Quest|Nat Hentoff|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His emphasis on middle-class concerns is, well, understandable.
Iowa Frontrunner Mike Huckabee Talks to The Daily Beast|Lloyd Green|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While there will be always be an emphasis on the next great star, Li Na has already opened the door.
Tennis Star Li Na Says Goodbye to the Court…and Puts the Sport’s Rise in Asia in Question|Nicholas McCarvel|September 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The era of expansion is over, to be replaced by an emphasis on ensuring the security of the existing members.
Did Vladimir Putin Just Save NATO?|Nico Hines|September 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Such a method results not only in added clearness, but also in emphasis.
Public Speaking|Clarence Stratton
Horse (a young horse), schantón-schi̍nga (an and on French; first word with emphasis; second without).
Travels in the Interior of North America, 1832-1834, Part III (the Text Being Chapters XXVIII-XXXIII of the London Edition, 1843, and the Appendix a Combination of the Appendices of the London and German [Coblentz, 1839] Editions)|Maximilian, Prinz von Wied
The emphasis here is upon the term "existences," and in its plural form.
Studies in Logical Theory|John Dewey
He lighted a cigarette, but forthwith extinguished it and went on with emphasis: We handle them with kid gloves, Melikoff.
The White Terror and The Red|Abraham Cahan
But we have not yet quite exhausted the subject of emphasis, considered in relation to young ladies.
The Comic English Grammar|Unknown

British Dictionary definitions for emphasis

emphasis

noun plural -ses (-siːz)

special importance or significance

an object, idea, etc, that is given special importance or significance

stress made to fall on a particular syllable, word, or phrase in speaking

force or intensity of expressionhe spoke with special emphasis on the subject of civil rights

sharpness or clarity of form or outlinethe sunlight gave emphasis to the shape of the mountain

Word Origin for emphasis

C16: via Latin from Greek: meaning, (in rhetoric) significant stress; see emphatic

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 emphasis

emphasis

1570s, from Latin emphasis, from Greek emphasis "significance, indirect meaning," from emphainein "to present, show, indicate," from en "in" (see en- (2)) + phainein "to show" (see phantasm). In Greek and Latin, it developed a sense of "extra stress" given to a word or phrase in speech as a clue that it implies something more than literal meaning.