emphasis

noun

ˈem(p)-fə-səs How to pronounce emphasis (audio)
Definition of emphasisnext
1
as in focus
a special notice or importance given to something a prep school with a long-established emphasis on sports

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intensity
the quality or state of being forceful (as in expression) the emphasis with which my parents issued the warning about smoking left no doubt that they were serious

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 emphasis That emphasis on people, not just the solutions themselves, also underpins the Global Change Award, which prioritizes developing the changemaker behind each concept, Dolva said. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026 Instead, the emphasis is on cultivating relationships that could lead to financing, production support or future collaborations. — Essie Assibu, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026 That dissatisfaction, driven in large part by the federal government’s energy policies, comes as Canadian leaders are placing particular emphasis on national unity. — Chantelle Lee, Time, 20 Oct. 2026 So far this follows a familiar pattern, but what distinguishes the Left Book Club was its emphasis on activism. — Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for emphasis
Recent Examples of Synonyms for emphasis
  1. focus
  2. intensity
  3. stress
  4. aggressiveness
  5. weight
  6. attention
Noun
  • Anthropic made OpenAI's ads push the focus of its first Super Bowl campaign and pledged to keep its competing chatbot, Claude, ad free.
    — Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Anthropic’s lobbying form lists the Collaboration on Adversarial Threats and Security Risks Act, a bill that would allow labs to coordinate with each other on security risks, as a point of focus for the company on Capitol Hill.
    — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of focus
Noun
  • Murban crude, produced by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), has a carbon intensity less than half the global industry average.
    — H.E. Dr Abdulla Saif Al Jarwan, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • My entire goal was to stay as relaxed as possible and let the contractions keep doing the work—an extremely challenging task as the intensity continued to build.
    — Trinity Mouzon Wofford, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of intensity
Noun
  • Running stress trials Safety agencies require strict experimental proof before licensing advanced reactor designs.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The ongoing legal troubles compounded the stress the Hollywood couple was already dealing with and things almost took a really wrong turn, Mangianello admits.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of stress
Noun
  • Furthermore, CNNs are exceeding in disease detection and predicting disease aggressiveness and patient prognosis.
    — Esha Desai, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
  • So will the aggressiveness of the defender after giving up a rebound.
    — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of aggressiveness
Noun
  • Lockheed Martin lists its maximum takeoff weight at 164,000 pounds, with a standard maximum payload of 46,700 pounds.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Poetic economy means fewer words must carry more weight and convey more meaning.
    — Dana Kelley, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of weight
Noun
  • Amalia Ulman’s 2025 film Magic Farm, about an American team’s desperation to manufacture a viral trend in rural Argentina, is minor cringe for its pleasurable skewering of the attention economy.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • No one was standing over my shoulder telling me to pay it special attention, but I was mesmerized.
    — Joan Martelli, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of attention

Browse Nearby Words

emphases
emphasis
emphasize
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Emphasis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emphasis. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about emphasis

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