Did you know?
When you accentuate something you put an “accent,” or emphasis, on it. There’s no need to stress out if you don’t know the word’s history, though; its journey into the English language was very straightforward. It comes from Latin accentus, meaning “accent” (which itself comes in part from cantus, meaning “song”), and since the early 18th century, its meanings haven’t changed much. The word was initially used as a synonym of the verb accent to mean “to pronounce with greater stress or force,” which is a small leap from today’s meaning of “to make something more noticeable; to emphasize.” One excellent way to remember not only how to pronounce accentuate but also its etymological connection to song is the classic (and helpfully titled) tune “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive,” by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, which has been performed by such luminaries as Dinah Washington, Sam Cooke, and Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters.
Examples of accentuate in a Sentence
Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 11 May 2026
Using stacks of hundreds to thousands of photos taken with his camera or telescope, McCarthy produces true-color images of the moon's near side, accentuated with saturation boosts that reveal brilliant shades of blue, red, green and brown that your eyes can't normally detect.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 11 May 2026
As Trinity Christian College prepared to close permanently this weekend, current and former students Thursday encouraged the Palos Heights school’s community to accentuate their grief with hope.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
Queen Maxima’s blouse featured a poncho-like silhouette, with flowing, soft fabric that was further accentuated by the material of her trousers.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for accentuate
Cite this Entry
“Accentuate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accentuate. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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accentuate
verb
