accentuated

[ ak-sen-choo-ey-tid ]

adjective

1. emphasized or made particularly noticeable; prominent:

   The carved humanoid figure has large almond-shaped eyes, full lips, and an accentuated chin.

2. (of a syllable or word) pronounced with greater loudness or length, higher pitch, or some combination of these; accented or stressed:

   This dictionary indicates the accentuated syllable by placing a stress mark (‘) before it.

3. written or printed with a mark indicating stress, vowel quality, or other features of pronunciation:

   User authentication does not work for usernames that contain an accentuated character.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of accentuate.

Other Words From

• un·ac·cen·tu·at·ed adjective
• well-ac·cen·tu·at·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of accentuated¹

First recorded in 1725–35; accentuate + -ed ²( def ) for the adjective senses; accentuate + -ed ¹( def ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

The challenges Biden faced, which were accentuated by the debate performance, threatened to interrupt that streak.

From Salon

“The gown enveloped her in an aura that accentuated her vocals, irrevocably touching hearts worldwide,” the design house added.

From Los Angeles Times

It started with a horrible debate performance and was accentuated by a letter that actor George Clooney submitted to the New York Times two weeks ago urging Biden to step aside.

From Salon

The uncertainty over his role going forward was accentuated by the team denoting him as a cornerback/safety on its official roster, the only player on defense given a listing of two different positions.

From Seattle Times

But Adams never really got fully healthy and missed a game in November against the Rams before returning for three more that only accentuated he still wasn’t 100% before being shelved for good.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• emphasize
• highlight
• point up
• underline
• underscore