First Known Use: 1635
Dictionary
emphatic
adjective em·phat·ic \im-ˈfa-tik, em-\
: said or done in a forceful or definite way
: speaking or acting in a forceful way
Full Definition 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
— em·phat·i·cal·ly \-ˈfa-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
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Origin of EMPHATIC
Greek emphatikos, from emphainein
Related to EMPHATIC
- Synonyms
- aggressive, assertive, dynamic, energetic, forceful, full-blooded, muscular, resounding, strenuous, vehement, vigorous, violent
- Antonyms
- nonassertive, nonemphatic, unemphatic
Rhymes with EMPHATIC
agnatic, aquatic, asthmatic, Carnatic, chromatic, climatic, comatic, dalmatic, dogmatic, dramatic, ecstatic, erratic, eustatic, fanatic, hepatic, judgmatic, komatik, lymphatic, magmatic, neumatic, phlegmatic, plasmatic, pneumatic, pragmatic, prismatic, protatic, quadratic, rheumatic, schematic, schismatic, sciatic, Socratic, somatic, spermatic, stigmatic, sylvatic, thematic, traumatic, villatic
EMPHATIC Defined for Kids
emphatic
adjective em·phat·ic \im-ˈfa-tik\
Definition of EMPHATIC for Kids
: spoken or done forcefully <She shook her head in emphatic refusal.>
— em·phat·ic·al·ly adverb
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