emphasis
Americannoun
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special stress laid upon, or importance attached to, anything.
The president's statement gave emphasis to the budgetary crisis.
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something that is given great stress or importance.
Morality was the emphasis of his speech.
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Rhetoric.
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special and significant stress of voice laid on particular words or syllables.
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stress laid on particular words, by means of position, repetition, or other indication.
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intensity or force of expression, action, etc..
Determination lent emphasis to his proposals.
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prominence, as of form or outline.
The background detracts from the emphasis of the figure.
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Electronics. preemphasis.
noun
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special importance or significance
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an object, idea, etc, that is given special importance or significance
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stress made to fall on a particular syllable, word, or phrase in speaking
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force or intensity of expression
he spoke with special emphasis on the subject of civil rights
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sharpness or clarity of form or outline
the sunlight gave emphasis to the shape of the mountain
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of emphasis
First recorded in 1565–75; from Latin, from Greek émphasis “indication,” equivalent to em- em- 2 + phásis phasis
Explanation
While the emphasis, or main focus, for walking a dog might be on "answering the call of nature," the emphasis for the dog might be on chasing squirrels. If you say emphasis a little louder or with extra oomph in your pronunciation, you are putting emphasis on the word. This emphasis makes it clear that special attention, or emphasis, should be given to the word. Now, having repeated emphasis so many times, the "s" sound really stands out, sort of like in the word "stress." When you stress a point, you put emphasis on something — it is the main thing, the emphasis.
Vocabulary lists containing emphasis
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 31-40
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The AP English Exam: Rhetorical and Literary Terms 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This greater force with which we speak the words is called EMPHASIS.
From McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader by McGuffey, William Holmes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
