accentuate
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ac·cen·tu·ate
(ăk-sĕn′cho͞o-āt′)tr.v. ac·cen·tu·at·ed, ac·cen·tu·at·ing, ac·cen·tu·ates
1. To stress or emphasize; intensify: "land-reform plans that accentuated the already chaotic pattern of landholding" (James Fallows).
2. To pronounce with a stress or accent.
3. To mark with an accent.
[Medieval Latin accentuāre, accentuāt-, from Latin accentus, accent; see accent.]
ac·cen′tu·a′tion n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
accentuate
(ækˈsɛntʃʊˌeɪt)vb
(tr) to stress or emphasize
acˌcentuˈation n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ac•cen•tu•ate
(ækˈsɛn tʃuˌeɪt)v.t. -at•ed, -at•ing.
1. to give emphasis or prominence to.
2. to mark or pronounce with an accent.
[1725–35; < Medieval Latin accentuātus, past participle of accentuāre, derivative of Latin accentus accent]
ac•cen`tu•a′tion, n.
ac•cen′tu•a`tor, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
accentuate
Past participle: accentuated
Gerund: accentuating
Imperative |
---|
accentuate |
accentuate |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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Verb | 1. | ![]() background, play down, downplay - understate the importance or quality of; "he played down his royal ancestry" set off, bring out - direct attention to, as if by means of contrast; "This dress accentuates your nice figure!"; "I set off these words by brackets" re-emphasise, re-emphasize - emphasize anew; "The director re-emphasized the need for greater productivity" bear down - pay special attention to; "The lectures bore down on the political background" topicalize - emphasize by putting heavy stress on or by moving to the front of the sentence; "Speakers topicalize more often than they realize"; "The object of the sentence is topicalized in what linguists call `Yiddish Movement'" point up - emphasize, especially by identification; "This novel points up the racial problems in England" press home, ram home, drive home - make clear by special emphasis and try to convince somebody of something; "drive home a point or an argument"; "I'm trying to drive home these basic ideas" emphasise, underline, underscore, emphasize - give extra weight to (a communication); "Her gesture emphasized her words" |
2. | accentuate - put stress on; utter with an accent; "In Farsi, you accent the last syllable of each word" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
accentuate
verb emphasize, stress, highlight, accent, underline, bring home, underscore, foreground, foreground, give emphasis to, call or draw attention to His shaven head accentuates his large round face.
play down, minimize, gloss over, underplay, soft-pedal (informal), make light or little of
play down, minimize, gloss over, underplay, soft-pedal (informal), make light or little of
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
accentuate
verbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
accentuate
[ækˈsɛntʃueɪt] vt [+ need, difference, problem] → accentuer
[+ physical feature] → faire ressortir
[+ syllable] → accentuer
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
accentuate
vt → betonen; (in speaking, Mus) → akzentuieren; (Ling: = give accent to) → mit einem Akzent versehen; to accentuate the need for something → die Notwendigkeit einer Sache (gen) → betonen or hervorheben
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
accentuate
[ækˈsɛntjuːeɪt] vt (syllable) → accentuare; (need, difference) → accentuare, mettere in risalto or in evidenzaCollins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995