emphasis
[ em-fuh-sis ]
/ ˈɛm fə sɪs /
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.
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Nearby words
Origin of emphasis
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
British Dictionary definitions for emphasis
emphasis
/ (ˈɛmfəsɪs) /
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
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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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper