Did you know?
When you accentuate something you put an “accent,” or emphasis, on it. There’s no need to stress out if you don’t know the word’s history, though; its journey into the English language was very straightforward. It comes from Latin accentus, meaning “accent” (which itself comes in part from cantus, meaning “song”), and since the early 18th century, its meanings haven’t changed much. The word was initially used as a synonym of the verb accent to mean “to pronounce with greater stress or force,” which is a small leap from today’s meaning of “to make something more noticeable; to emphasize.” One excellent way to remember not only how to pronounce accentuate but also its etymological connection to song is the classic (and helpfully titled) tune “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive,” by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, which has been performed by such luminaries as Dinah Washington, Sam Cooke, and Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters.
Examples of accentuate in a Sentence
Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2025
Paris Saint-Germain’s rebranding accentuated the word ‘Paris’ on their logo, not so much the ‘Saint-Germain’, and UEFA uniformly refers to the club as ‘Paris’ rather than ‘PSG’.
—Mark Critchley, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025
His huge figure — heavy set and a towering 6-foot-3 — only accentuated the impact of his outlandish looks.
—Tom Faber, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
His 3-4-2-1s shape has only further accentuated the structure issues in his squad.
—Graham Ruthven, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accentuate
Cite this Entry
“Accentuate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accentuate. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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accentuate
verb
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