emphatic

adjective

em·​phat·​ic im-ˈfa-tik How to pronounce emphatic (audio)
em-
1
: uttered with or marked by emphasis
an emphatic refusal
2
: tending to express oneself in forceful speech or to take decisive action
3
: attracting special attention
4
: constituting or belonging to a set of tense forms in English consisting of the auxiliary do followed by an infinitive without to that are used to facilitate rhetorical inversion or to emphasize something
emphatically adverb

Examples of emphatic in a Sentence

They were emphatic about their political differences. the governor issued an emphatic denial of all charges
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The answer to that question should be an emphatic 'No,' but a majority of this court apparently thinks otherwise. Nina Totenberg, NPR, 5 Mar. 2025 The answer to that question should be an emphatic 'No,' but a majority of this Court apparently thinks otherwise. Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025 There is perhaps no more emphatic booking move made by WWE than Cena’s Elimination Chamber win. Blake Oestriecher, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025 On his second goal of the night, Cabral streaked just a little farther from the goal than Navarro, took a defender with him and opened a pocket of space through which Larraz played a perfect pass for an emphatic finish by Navarro. Braidon Nourse, The Denver Post, 2 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for emphatic

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French & Late Latin; French emphatique "forcefully expressive," going back to Middle French, borrowed from Late Latin emphaticus, borrowed from Greek emphatikós "expressive, indicative," from empha-, stem in noun derivation of emphaínein "to exhibit, display, indicate" + -t-, verbal adjective formative + -ikos -ic entry 1 — more at emphasis

First Known Use

1602, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of emphatic was in 1602

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Emphatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emphatic. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

emphatic

adjective
em·​phat·​ic im-ˈfat-ik How to pronounce emphatic (audio)
em-
1
: uttered with or marked by emphasis
2
: tending to express oneself in forceful speech or action
3
: attracting special attention
an emphatic design
emphatically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on emphatic

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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