emphasis

[em-fuh-sis]

See more synonyms for emphasis on Thesaurus.com

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.
1. special and significant stress of voice laid on particular words or syllables.
2. 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.

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. 2018

Related Words for emphasis

stress, strength, significance, weight, attention, priority, intensity, insistence, positiveness, force, preeminence, power, headline, accent, accentuation, moment, highlight, impressiveness, underlining

Examples from the Web for emphasis

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
His emphasis on middle-class concerns is, well, understandable.
Iowa Frontrunner Mike Huckabee Talks to The Daily Beast
Lloyd Green
September 22, 2014
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
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

Historical Examples of emphasis

There was profound conviction in the emphasis with which she spoke her warning.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
In the man's emphasis the girl realized at last the inefficacy of her efforts to combat his will.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
She was only remarkable in this, for the force and emphasis with which she did it.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
He spoke it with emphasis, and struck his stick on the floor.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Anne Bronte
"Oh, no—that I am not," said the boy, with a very expressive smile and emphasis.
Tales And Novels, Volume 9 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth

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

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.