emphatic

adjective

em·​phat·​ic im-ˈfa-tik 

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

im-ˈfa-ti-k(ə-)lē 

em-

adverb

Synonyms of emphatic

• aggressive
• vigorous
• violent
• forceful
• dynamic
• insistent
• energetic

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

Salma Paralluelo found space down the left flank, whipped in a cross and picked out Navarro for an emphatic finish. — Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2026

Nafis Ud Doula, director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and a member of the RSC board, is emphatic about the industry’s position. — Mayu Saini, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026

Sudre at King’s College, whose work integrates genomic, clinical, neural and cognitive data to predict how mental health symptoms will develop in children, is emphatic that the role of humans in science isn’t shrinking. — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026

In this market moment, very few index rally days are emphatic, no selloffs are fully bereft. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026

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

Rhymes for emphatic

• asthmatic
• chromatic
• climatic
• dogmatic
• dramatic
• ecstatic
• erratic
• eustatic
• fanatic
• hepatic
• lymphatic
• magmatic

Kids Definition

emphatic

adjective

em·​phat·​ic im-ˈfat-ik 

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

-ˈfat-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb