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accentuate

UK/əkˈsɛn.t͡ʃu.eɪt/US/əkˈsɛn.t͡ʃu.eɪt/
verbC1Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #11,518 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: accentuated, accentuates, accentuating

To accentuate is to make a feature stand out more. It was already there — now everybody can see it.

It is used constantly about clothes and design, so a cut that accentuates the shoulders or lighting that accentuates a texture. It also works on problems, since a shortage can accentuate an existing inequality. The word is more formal than emphasise and slightly more visual. There is a well-known song instruction to accentuate the positive, which is where a good many people first met it.

Definitions of accentuate

  1. 1verbaccentuateTo make something more noticeable or prominent.C1

    “The narrow belt accentuates the waist.”

Where it comes from

  1. Medieval Latin

    accentuātus

  2. English, today

    accentuate

Borrowed from Medieval Latin accentuātus, from accentuō, from und + accentus. 1731; Medieval Latin accentuātus, perfect passive participle of accentuō (see -ate), from Latin accentus. accent + -u- + -ate.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 2 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

accentuate in the wild

  • Dashi forms the base for miso soup, clear broth soup, noodle broth soup, and many simmering liquids to accentuate the savory flavor known as umami.

    Dashi

  • The logarithm of the distance is taken to accentuate the details".

    Pickover stalk

  • The waistline of a garment is often used to accentuate different features.

    Waistline (clothing)

  • As with many of the diverse instruments in China, many Huqin stringed instruments were used in feudal times to accentuate traditions, festivals, rituals, and court life.

    Jiaohu

  • Slip stitches may be added to increase the depth of the ribbing, and to accentuate the stitches of certain wales.

    Ribbing (knitting)

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

  • accent