emphasized

American  

[em-fuh-sahyzd] / ˈɛm fəˌsaɪzd /

especially British, emphasised

adjective

1. made more visible, more important, etc.; stressed.

   Read the emphasized sentence carefully, and contrast it with the information given in the previous paragraph.

   Good sportsmanship was the emphasized theme of the club's operations.

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

• unemphasized adjective
• well-emphasized adjective

Etymology

Origin of emphasized

emphasize ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

Something that's emphasized is stressed. The emphasized point of a politician's speech might be lowering taxes. When you put stress on something or pay it extra attention, you can describe it as emphasized. There are emphasized syllables in words, emphasized subjects in school, and emphasized parts of a wedding reception speech. The source of the adjective emphasized is the noun emphasis, "importance or stress." Emphasis is a Greek word, used in rhetoric to mean "significance" or "indirect meaning," from emphainein, "let a thing be seen."

Example Sentences

The company has emphasized the importance of FSD for the future of its business as it moves away from electric-vehicle sales to focus on autonomy, artificial intelligence and robotics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

She’s heard people say that you can’t have a contingency plan for everything — “but yes, yes you can,” she emphasized.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

When asked what makes her the best candidate to succeed Guterres on January 1, 2027, Bachelet emphasized her "extensive experience."

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

Obama, who has remained active in public life since leaving office, has frequently emphasized education as a cornerstone of economic opportunity in his entire political and post-political career.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

Garfield's supporters emphasized his rise from poverty, presenting him as a common man who could relate to the everyday lives of voters.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

Related Words

• accentuate
• affirm
• assert
• highlight
• indicate
• maintain
• point out
• reiterate
• repeat
• underline
• underscore