ACCENTUATE Synonyms: 85 Similar and Opposite Words

accentuate

verb

ik-ˈsen(t)-shə-ˌwāt

Definition of accentuate

as in to emphasize

to indicate the importance of by centering attention on let's accentuate the saxophones during this piece by having the sax players stand up

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to enhance

to make markedly greater in measure or degree the foul weather merely accentuated my feelings of depression

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to reinforce

to make more apparent unfortunately, the new bedspread just accentuates the dinginess of the curtains behind the bed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of accentuate Either way, Rahimi balances the character’s clear vulnerability with just enough ambiguity about his plans for the school, accentuated through Majidi’s restrained and naturalistic approach. — Kambole Campbell, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026 The loneliness is accentuated by the jittery, dreaminess of his club beats for the headphones that make even the goofiest songs seem personal. — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 8 Oct. 2026 The sedan features short overhangs and a streamlined side profile, which does get accentuated by the flat door handles. — New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2026 But Galactic Racer layers on some clever elements to help accentuate its distinct style. — Hayes Madsen, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for accentuate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for accentuate

Verb

Both the Hesburgh Commission report in the early 1980s and the Jordan Commission report in the late 1990s emphasized the need for civic and social assimilation of immigrants.

— Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2026
Out of the company’s 2,000 employees, about 1,800 are locals — for Baima, emphasizing local employment is in pursuit of a larger goal, which is to help employees gain confidence in their own culture and ensuring guests treat it with respect.

— Denni Hu, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of emphasize

Verb

Throughout history, some were commissioned to enhance the interiors with their signature flair while others bartered their artwork for breaks on daily rates and others simply just thrived off the scene.

— Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
Each picture mode offers essentially the same rich set of options, except for AI-enhanced, which locks you out of some settings (including local contrast and color tuner), presumably because the AI logic is handling those.

— M. David Stone, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of enhance

Verb

The event reinforces our commitment to building a strong, collaborative supply chain that delivers economic growth, innovation and long-term maritime capability in both nations.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese communist party’s central committee, reinforced the criticism through its online commentary platform Renmin Ruiping.

— Matthew Tan, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of reinforce

Verb

The experience highlighted a central problem in warship procurement; selecting an existing design does not necessarily guarantee faster or cheaper construction if the customer substantially changes its architecture.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
Indiana University School of Medicine virologist Natasha Tilston-Lunel highlights the Oropouche cases, but notes that the Schmallenberg virus, which is closely related to Shamonda, has been found to be widespread in livestock but not humans.

— Sahas Mehra, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of highlight

Verb

Anthropic stressed that researchers deliberately fine-tuned these models for testing.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
Organizers focused on election protection efforts stress that the goal is to ensure every voter casts their vote and the person who gets the most votes is declared the winner — all regardless of political party.

— Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of stress

Verb

Against a largely black palette, flashes of alarm red and bubblegum pink heightened the collection’s apocalyptic ethos.

— Livia Caligor, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2026
As with his previous films, Iñárritu tells his story using scenes out of order so that the pieces fall together in a jagged form that heightens the tension.

— Ray Bennett, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of heighten

Verb

But North Korea’s deepening military ties with Russia since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine have led analysts to question whether Pyongyang is becoming less reliant on Beijing.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Residents of the southern Ukrainian ⁠town, occupied by Russian forces since February 2022, have reported a deepening food crisis.

— Reuters, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of deepen

Browse Nearby Words

accents

accentuate

accentuated

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Style

“Accentuate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accentuate. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of accentuate

verb

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