emphatic

adjective

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

Synonyms of emphatic

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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
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.
For June Films producer Julie Billy, the attraction was emphatic. — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026 Judge William Sullivan gave an emphatic instruction to jurors to dismiss Heilbrun's testimony regarding Clancy's Catholic upbringing. — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 24 Aug. 2026 Eating it inspires an appreciation for the seamless integration of Mexican and Middle Eastern influences, melding to a state of emphatic brilliance in each bite. — The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Aug. 2026 Spurs’ defeat was emphatic but the core idea will take time to build for De Zerbi and there were several examples of his quick third-man passing working well. — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for emphatic

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

Rhymes for emphatic

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Browse Nearby Words

emphasize
emphatic
emphatical
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Cite this Entry

“Emphatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emphatic. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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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
-ˈfat-i-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce emphatic (audio)
adverb
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