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emphatic - 3 dictionary results

em⋅phat⋅ic

  [em-fat-ik]
Use emphatic in a Sentence
–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.
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 pertaining to a form used to add emphasis, esp., 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.
–noun
8. an emphatic consonant.
Origin:
1700–10; < Gk emphatikós indicative, forceful, equiv. to *emphat(ós) (em- em- 2 + phatós, var. of phantós visible, equiv. to phan-, s. of phaínesthai to appear + -tos adj. suffix) + -ikos -ic

Related forms:
em⋅phat⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
em⋅phat⋅i⋅cal⋅ness, noun

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

Antonyms:
3. weak.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To emphatic
em·phat·ic   (ěm-fāt'ĭk)   
adj.  
  1. Expressed or performed with emphasis: responded with an emphatic "no."
  2. Forceful and definite in expression or action.
  3. Standing out in a striking and clearly defined way.

[Medieval Latin emphaticus, from Greek emphatikos, from emphainein, to exhibit, display; see emphasis.]
em·phat'i·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Emphatic

Em*phat"ic\, Emphatical \Em*phat"ic*al\, a. [Gr. ?: cf. F. emphatique. See Emphasis.]

1. Uttered with emphasis; made prominent and impressive by a peculiar stress of voice; laying stress; deserving of stress or emphasis; forcible; impressive; strong; as, to remonstrate in am emphatic manner; an emphatic word; an emphatic tone; emphatic reasoning.

2. Striking the sense; attracting special attention; impressive; forcible. "Emphatical colors." --Boyle. "Emphatical evils." --Bp. Reynolds.

Syn: Forcible; earnest; impressive; energetic; striking; positive; important; special; significant.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : emphatic
Spanish: enfático, enérgico,
German: nachdrücklich,
Japanese: 断固とした
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