Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

accentuate

/əkˈsɛn.t͡ʃu.eɪt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.76 in modern English

Syllables: ac-cen-tu-ate
IPA: /əkˈsɛn.t͡ʃu.eɪt/

14

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

4

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To pronounce with an accent or vocal stress.

Transitive verb

verb

To bring out distinctly; to make more noticeable or prominent; to emphasize.

Transitive verb

verb

To mark with a written accent.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"our danger and insolation only accentuated the incompatibility"
"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."
"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."
"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."
"Eating meat does not conform to God's original intention, and resorting to carnivorism merely accentuates an unattractive part of human nature."
"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."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n- Proto-Indo-European *kh₂néti Proto-Italic *kanō Latin canō Latin accinō Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus ▲ Ancient Greek προσῳδῐ́ᾱ (prosōidĭ́ā)calq. Latin accentus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin accentuō Medieval Latin accentuātusbor. English accentuate 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.

Origin

Source language: Latin
First known use: First attested in 1731

Word Breakdown

Root: accentus

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /əkˈsɛn.t͡ʃu.eɪt/
British English: /əkˈsɛn.t͡ʃu.eɪt/

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

accentuates (present, singular) accentuating (participle, present) accentuated (participle, past) accentuated (past)

Derived Forms

accentuable accentuator misaccentuate overaccentuate reaccentuate unaccentuated

Frequently Paired Words

accentual accentuation

Synonyms

accent betone stress emphasize emphasise punctuate

Questions

How do you pronounce accentuate?: The recorded pronunciation is /əkˈsɛn.t͡ʃu.eɪt/.
What does accentuate mean?: To pronounce with an accent or vocal stress.
Where does accentuate come from?: It is traced to Latin. First known use: First attested in 1731.

How to pronounce accentuate

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “accentuate”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/əkˈsɛn.t͡ʃu.eɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “accentuate”.
Repeat and practice — Say “accentuate” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.