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

Asked how different the offense will be in 2026, FIU football coach Willie Simmons was emphatic. —Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 15 Mar. 2026

His last four high school points came in emphatic fashion. —Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2026

Who takes them comes down to whether Gotham FC can find more consistency, the Washington Spirit coalesce a best XI that includes Trinity Rodman, the Orlando Pride have a fit and firing Barbra Banda, or the Kansas City Current are ready to go again after such an emphatic record-breaking year. —Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026

In the end, CoreCivic won over city leaders despite the emphatic opposition of outspoken residents and a year-long legal battle in which the company repeatedly argued that it should be allowed to reopen without a zoning permit. —Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 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