emphatic

American  

[em-fat-ik] / ɛmˈfæt ɪk /

adjective

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

2. using emphasis in speech or action.

3. forceful; insistent.

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

   Synonyms:

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

   Antonyms:

   weak

4. very impressive or significant; strongly marked; striking.

   the emphatic beauty of sunset.

5. clearly or boldly outlined.

   It stands, like a great, stone dagger, emphatic against the sky.

6. 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.

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

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noun

1. an emphatic consonant.

emphatic British  

/ ɪmˈfætɪk /

adjective

1. expressed, spoken, or done with emphasis

2. forceful and positive; definite; direct

   an emphatic personality

3. sharp or clear in form, contour, or outline

4. important or significant; stressed

   the emphatic points in an argument

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

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noun

1. phonetics an emphatic consonant, as used in Arabic

Other Word Forms

• emphatically adverb
• emphaticalness noun
• unemphatic adjective
• unemphatically adverb

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

“We went from burning the flag to waving the flag,” says veteran ABC announcer Al Michaels, who delivered the live sportscast and the emphatic “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!”

From The Wall Street Journal

It was just a matter of time after that, Alcaraz sealing an emphatic win in two hours and 44 minutes.

From Barron's

First Minister John Swinney responded with an emphatic "no" when asked if political pressure was applied.

From BBC

Keys said the emphatic nature of her victory "gives me a confidence boost that I can find my best tennis when pushed".

From Barron's

He added in opening arguments that it "knew they had skeletons in their closet" and that years of "emphatic denials were not true".

From Barron's

Related Words

• assertive
• categorical
• confident
• definite
• definitive
• energetic
• explicit
• forceful
• impressive
• pronounced
• resounding
• sober
• sure
• telling
• unmistakable
• vigorous