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enunciate

[ ih-nuhn-see-eyt ]
/ ɪˈnʌn siˌeɪt /
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verb (used with object), e·nun·ci·at·ed, e·nun·ci·at·ing.

to utter or pronounce (words, sentences, etc.), especially in an articulate or a particular manner: He enunciates his words distinctly.
to state or declare definitely, as a theory.
to announce or proclaim: to enunciate one's intentions.

verb (used without object), e·nun·ci·at·ed, e·nun·ci·at·ing.

to pronounce words, especially in an articulate or a particular manner.

RELATED WORDS

outline, affirm, articulate, intone, propound, utter, sound, express, develop, show, deliver, vocalize, pronounce, state, submit, proclaim, say, promulgate, announce, postulate

Nearby words

  1. enumerable,
  2. enumerate,
  3. enumeration,
  4. enumerator,
  5. enunciable,
  6. enunciation,
  7. enunciative,
  8. enure,
  9. enuresis,
  10. enuretic

Origin of enunciate

1615–25; < Latin ēnūntiātus (past participle of ēnūntiāre), equivalent to ē- e-1 + nūnti(us) messenger, message + -ātus -ate1
Related forms
Can be confusedannounce enunciate pronounce (see synonym study at announce)annunciate enunciate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for enunciate

British Dictionary definitions for enunciate

enunciate

/ (ɪˈnʌnsɪˌeɪt) /

verb

to articulate or pronounce (words), esp clearly and distinctly
(tr) to state precisely or formally
Derived Formsenunciation, nounenunciative or enunciatory, adjectiveenunciatively, adverbenunciator, noun

Word Origin for enunciate

C17: from Latin ēnuntiāre to declare, from nuntiāre to announce, from nuntius messenger
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 enunciate

enunciate

v.

1620s, "declare, express," from Latin enuntiatus, past participle of enuntiare "speak out, say, express, assert; divulge, disclose, reveal, betray," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + nuntiare "to announce" (see nuncio). Or perhaps a back-formation from enunciation. Meaning "to articulate, pronounce" is from 1759. Related: Enunciated; enunciating.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper