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

With the ball staying fair — and eliciting an emphatic reaction from Amed Rosario near the Bombers’ bench — the Yankees picked up their first homer of the season and their first runs of the day. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2026

Yes, the margin on the IEEPA ruling was 6-3, and Chief Justice Roberts was quite emphatic. —Mihir Sharma, Twin Cities, 26 Mar. 2026

His second make was a transition layup sparked by an emphatic Hugo Gonzalez block that put the Celtics ahead 81-78. —Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 23 Mar. 2026

Then Mullins was fouled on a 3-pointer, Ross slammed down an emphatic two-handed dunk and Karaban blocked a shot at the other end, which lead to a technical foul on UCLA head coach Mick Cronin. —Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 23 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