emphatic

[em-fat-ik]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR emphatic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

uttered, or to be uttered, with emphasis; strongly expressive.

using emphasis in speech or action.

forceful; insistent: a big, emphatic man; I must be emphatic about this particular.

very impressive or significant; strongly marked; striking: the emphatic beauty of sunset.

clearly or boldly outlined: It stands, like a great, stone dagger, emphatic against the sky.

Grammar. of or relating to a form used to add emphasis, especially, in English, stressed auxiliary do in affirmative statements, as in He did call you or I do like it.

Phonetics. having a secondary velar articulation, as certain dental consonants in Arabic.

noun

an emphatic consonant.

Origin of emphatic

1700–10; < Greek emphatikós indicative, forceful, equivalent to *emphat(ós) (em- em-² + phatós, variant of phantós visible, equivalent to phan-, stem of phaínesthai to appear + -tos adj. suffix) + -ikos -ic

Related formsem·phat·i·cal·ly, adverbem·phat·i·cal·ness, nounun·em·phat·ic, adjectiveun·em·phat·i·cal·ly, adverb

Synonyms for emphatic

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR emphatic ON THESAURUS.COM

3. positive, energetic, forcible, pronounced, decided, unequivocal, definite.

Antonyms for emphatic

3. weak.

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

Related Words for emphatic

pronounced, resounding, sure, vigorous, definitive, categorical, definite, forceful, explicit, unmistakable, confident, assertive, telling, energetic, sober, impressive, absolute, assured, certain, cogent

Examples from the Web for emphatic

Contemporary Examples of emphatic

The adjudication of the Daily Beast office was clear and emphatic: penguin, penguin, penguin.
How Monty The Penguin Won Christmas: Britain’s Epic, Emotional Commercials
Tim Teeman
November 16, 2014
The CDC too, has been emphatic in their promotion of the technique.
Doctors Without Borders Hits Ebola Breaking Point
Abby Haglage, Kent Sepkowitz
October 21, 2014
At the 92Y talk, de la Renta was emphatic about the future of his label.
Fashion Designer Oscar de la Renta, American Great, Dead at 82
Tim Teeman
October 21, 2014
It is a creepy sound, inhumanly high-pitched and strangely clipped and emphatic: “S-s-eeg maheevoh s-s-speeree.”
The Stacks: The Judas Priest Teen Suicide Trial
Ivan Solotaroff
June 28, 2014
With a commanding voice and an emphatic, Emeril-esque “WOW!”
Meet the Chef Fighting to Ensure That Brazilians Will Never Be as Fat as Americans
Brandon Presser
June 25, 2014

Historical Examples of emphatic

But as for the liner, it continued with its emphatic reiteration.
Quaint Courtships
Various
"I earned that, Martin," she returned determinedly to his emphatic remonstrance.
Dust
Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
He stepped closer to the Lakonian, and spoke with emphatic briefness.
Priestess of the Flame
Sewell Peaslee Wright
It was their sole, emphatic mission to kill, burn, and destroy.
King Philip
John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott
They were aware that Arulai's "marks" were likely to be emphatic, for Arulai never does things by halves.
Lotus Buds
Amy Carmichael

British Dictionary definitions for emphatic

emphatic

adjective

expressed, spoken, or done with emphasis

forceful and positive; definite; directan emphatic personality

sharp or clear in form, contour, or outline

important or significant; stressedthe emphatic points in an argument

phonetics denoting certain dental consonants of Arabic that are pronounced with accompanying pharyngeal constriction

noun

phonetics an emphatic consonant, as used in Arabic

Word Origin for emphatic

C18: from Greek emphatikos expressive, forceful, from emphainein to exhibit, display, from phainein to show

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 emphatic

adj.

1708, from Greek emphatikos, variant of emphantikos, from emphainein (see emphasis). Emphatical is earlier (1550s). Related: Emphatically.