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

• aggressive
• assertive
• dynamic
• energetic
• forceful
• full-blooded
• muscular
• resounding
• strenuous
• vehement
• vigorous
• violent

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

Having brought a 12th NCAA women’s championship back to Connecticut, UConn guard Paige Bueckers is widely expected to be drafted No. 1 after rounding out a stellar college career in the most emphatic fashion. —Ben Morse, CNN Money, 14 Apr. 2025

Liverpool remain on course for an emphatic Premier League title victory, a superb achievement given this is Slot’s first season in English football, but results have dipped. —Gregg Evans, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025

The one below may reveal the firefighter left behind and why Walker was so emphatic about how stressed fans should be about what’s ahead. —Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 9 Apr. 2025

Argentina’s emphatic 4-1 victory at home to Brazil means first place in the South American qualifying table with an eight-point advantage over second place Ecuador. —Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025

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