emphatically
Britishadverb
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with emphasis or force
-
definitely or unquestionably
Explanation
When you say something emphatically, you say it with great emphasis and force, like when you emphatically denied that you took the last cookie. Emphatically, pronounced "em-FAT-ick-lee," shares the same origin as emphasize, which means "to stress or put particular importance on something." When you say or do something emphatically, you really mean it. For example, if you emphatically say "no" when someone asks you on a date, that person isn't likely to ask you — or even look in your direction — again.
Vocabulary lists containing emphatically
A Christmas Carol
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The Giver
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Wonder
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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.
The U.S. is emphatically different in this regard, the author says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
After an emphatically bullish start to 2026, Japan’s largest stock by market capitalization until last week has suddenly reversed course.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026
When I ask if she’d ever made contact with any ghosts, Grohl nods emphatically before describing a trip to a hunting estate near the Scottish Highlands.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
Having watched Wu deliver a succession of big breaks to pull clear at 10-7 overnight, Murphy emphatically roared back into contention in the best-of-35-frames final on Monday afternoon.
From BBC ● May 4, 2026
Quite clearly and emphatically, and only a yard or so away from the back of the shelter, a stick cracked.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
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.
