Definitions for: Emphasis


[n] intensity or forcefulness of expression; "the vehemence of his denial"; "his emphasis on civil rights"
[n] the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch); "he put the stress on the wrong syllable"
[n] special and significant stress by means of position or repetition e.g.
[n] special importance or significance; "the red light gave the central figure increased emphasis"; "the room was decorated in shades of gray with distinctive red accents"



Webster (1913) Definition: Em"pha*sis, n.; pl. Emphases. [L., fr. Gr. ?
significance, force of expression, fr. ? to show in,
indicate; ? in + ? to show. See In, and Phase.]
1. (Rhet.) A particular stress of utterance, or force of
voice, given in reading and speaking to one or more words
whose signification the speaker intends to impress
specially upon his audience.

The province of emphasis is so much more important
than accent, that the customary seat of the latter
is changed, when the claims of emphasis require it.
--E. Porter.

2. A peculiar impressiveness of expression or weight of
thought; vivid representation, enforcing assent; as, to
dwell on a subject with great emphasis.

External objects stand before us . . . in all the
life and emphasis of extension, figure, and color.
--Sir W.
Hamilton.

Synonyms: accent, accent, stress, vehemence

See Also: accentuation, focus, grandness, importance, inflection, intensity, intensiveness, overemphasis, pitch accent, prosody, rhetorical device, sentence stress, stress, tonic accent, word accent, word stress

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