emphatic

adjective

em·​phat·​ic im-ˈfa-tik How to pronounce emphatic (audio)
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 adverb

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 Though brilliant shots have been a hallmark of the 15-time major champion’s career since, that putt, his emphatic celebration and Koch’s call remain one of Woods’ defining moments. Jack Bantock, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 Inter Miami got off to a dream 2-0 start vs. Orlando City on Saturday afternoon at Chase Stadium, with Suarez opening his MLS account with an emphatic brace inside of 11 minutes. Franco Panizo, Miami Herald, 2 Mar. 2024 For many salon owners in central and eastern Ukraine, the answer is an emphatic yes. Longreads, 1 Mar. 2024 With these emphatic victories, the BJP not only crushed and humiliated the Congress but also secured the legislative dominance of the party. Ramachandra Guha, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 Lenz, in contrast, habitually shifts from personal modes of writing to emphatic suggestions that readers follow her lead. Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2024 The post ignited an emphatic debate in the comment section. Emma Bowman, NPR, 27 Feb. 2024 Saturday’s win against Newcastle was so much more than just an emphatic scoreline. Ben Church, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024 Backed by the emphatic Make America Great Again movement, Trump and his allies are browbeating Haley to drop out, which is building up a cacophony of conservatives who resent her staying in the race. Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'emphatic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of emphatic was in 1602

Dictionary Entries Near emphatic

Cite this Entry

“Emphatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emphatic. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

emphatic

adjective
em·​phat·​ic im-ˈfat-ik How to pronounce emphatic (audio)
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 adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on emphatic

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