accentuate
verbUK, US /əkˈsɛn.t͡ʃu.eɪt/
Etymology First attested in 1731; borrowed from Medieval Latin accentuātus, perfect passive participle of accentuō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from Latin accentus. accent + -u- + -ate.
1
To pronounce with an accent or vocal stress.
2
To bring out distinctly; to make more noticeable or prominent; to emphasize.
- our danger and insolation only accentuated the incompatibility1898, H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds/Book 2/Chapter 3:
- These were business hours, and a feeling of loneliness crept over him, perhaps germinated by his sight of the illustrated papers, and accentuated by an attempted perusal of them.1913, Robert Barr, chapter 5, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad:
4 more examples
- Attempts by Waterloo signalmen to clear the points by power operation eventually exhausted point motor batteries, which are fed by trickle chargers, and a blown fuse accentuated the problem; thus, even when the points had been cleared of ice, no power was available to operate them until the batteries were sufficiently recharged.1962 March 23, “The New Year Freeze-up on British Railways”, in Modern Railways, page 159:
- Several digital effects are supported by Deck, ranging from a digital equalizer, which lets you accentuate or attenuate certain frequencies, to a stereoizer, which processes a mono- phonic recording to simulate stereo.1991, Macworld, volume 8, PC World Communications:
- Eating meat does not conform to God's original intention, and resorting to carnivorism merely accentuates an unattractive part of human nature.2004, Mark H Bernstein, Without A Tear, University of Illinois, published 2004, page 67:
- Soft girl makeup, as the name suggests is a pastel, sweet style that focuses on accentuating natural features with a signature element being blush and faux freckles.2022 November 23, Vaishnavi Maloth, “Popular Makeup Aesthetics to Follow”, in Tulip, volume 13, number 5, page 66:
3
To mark with a written accent.
- Derived terms
- accentuable, accentuator, misaccentuate, overaccentuate, reaccentuate, unaccentuated
- Related terms
- accentual, accentuation