Definition of emphatic
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
Read the Latest from M-W
Examples of emphatic in a Sentence
They were emphatic about their political differences.
the governor issued an emphatic denial of all charges
Recent Examples of emphatic from the Web
-
Despite challenges in tuning the edgy harmonics, this was a brilliant rendition, shrill trills gilding the line, the strings chasing the piano’s statement and ending altogether with an emphatic punctuation.
-
After an emphatic 13-0 victory over Boca Raton Monday night in Boynton Beach, the squad of 11- and 12-year-olds assured themselves at least one more tournament stop on the road to Williamsport, Pa. and the Little League World Series.
-
With Jay going full-on mortal with 4:44, the response to the album has been nothing short of emphatic.
-
Despite the emphatic score line, Germany goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen was kept busy.
-
Smith and the bidding group have been emphatic about the community benefits an MLS team provides.
-
Nothing to see here except a lot of alley-oops and emphatic slams.
-
Then there's the color of the ice cream itself: a deep and emphatic purple.
-
Totally caught off guard, Carter lets out an emphatic scream as the former VP walks away.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'emphatic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of emphatic
Greek emphatikos, from emphainein
EMPHATIC Defined for English Language Learners
emphatic
playDefinition of emphatic for English Language Learners
-
: said or done in a forceful or definite way
-
: speaking or acting in a forceful way
EMPHATIC Defined for Kids
emphatic
playDefinition of emphatic for Students
: spoken or done forcefully She shook her head in emphatic refusal.
emphatically
adverbLearn More about emphatic
-
See words that rhyme with emphatic Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for emphatic Spanish Central: Translation of emphatic Nglish: Translation of emphatic for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of emphatic for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up emphatic? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!