marked

[ mahrkt, mahr-kid ]

adjective

1. strikingly noticeable; conspicuous:

   with marked success.

   Synonyms: prominent, obvious, outstanding, striking

2. watched as an object of suspicion or vengeance:

   a marked man.

3. having a mark or marks:

   beautifully marked birds; to read the marked pages.

4. Linguistics. Compare unmarked ( def 2 ).
   1. (of a phoneme) characterized by the presence of a phonological feature that serves to distinguish it from an otherwise similar phoneme lacking that feature, as (d), which, in contrast to (t), is characterized by the presence of voicing.
   2. characterized by the presence of a marker indicating the grammatical function of a construction, as the plural in English, which, in contrast to the singular, is typically indicated by the presence of the marker -s.
   3. specifying an additional element of meaning, in contrast to a semantically related item, as drake in contrast to duck, where drake specifies “male” while duck does not necessarily specify sex.
   4. occurring less typically than an alternative form, as the word order in Down he fell in contrast to the more usual order of He fell down.

marked

/ ˈmɑːkɪdlɪ; mɑːkt /

adjective

1. obvious, evident, or noticeable
2. singled out, esp for punishment, killing, etc

   a marked man

3. linguistics distinguished by a specific feature, as in phonology. For example, of the two phonemes /t/ and /d/, the /d/ is marked because it exhibits the feature of voice

Derived Forms

• ˈmarkedness, noun
• markedly, adverb

Other Words From

• mark·ed·ly [mahr, -kid-lee], adverb
• mark·ed·ness noun
• half-marked adjective
• well-marked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of marked¹

Middle English; Old English gemearcod; mark ¹, -ed ²

Example Sentences

This was in marked contrast to the main clock in the brain, plus feelings of sleepiness and alertness, which had not recovered within 5 days of the 5-hour time delay.

From Science Daily

The decades since the ban have been marked with ugly, sometimes violent, clashes between hunts and saboteur groups - who accuse them of breaking the law.

From BBC

Masterson’s case has been marked by repeated allegations of attorney misconduct and outside interference.

From Los Angeles Times

Their trial marked the largest use of the harsh national security law which China imposed on Hong Kong shortly after the city’s explosive pro-democracy protests in 2019.

From BBC

The arrest marked the beginning of a troubling period for Majors, who had seemingly been on a fast track to significant Hollywood stardom.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• considerable
• conspicuous
• decided
• distinct
• notable
• noticeable
• pronounced
• remarkable
• striking