Did you know?
When you accentuate something you put an “accent,” or emphasis, on it. There’s no need to stress out if you don’t know the word’s history, though; its journey into the English language was very straightforward. It comes from Latin accentus, meaning “accent” (which itself comes in part from cantus, meaning “song”), and since the early 18th century, its meanings haven’t changed much. The word was initially used as a synonym of the verb accent to mean “to pronounce with greater stress or force,” which is a small leap from today’s meaning of “to make something more noticeable; to emphasize.” One excellent way to remember not only how to pronounce accentuate but also its etymological connection to song is the classic (and helpfully titled) tune “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive,” by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, which has been performed by such luminaries as Dinah Washington, Sam Cooke, and Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters.
Examples of accentuate in a Sentence
Lara Walsh, InStyle, 15 Feb. 2026
Other patterns and motifs, at varying scales, were then used to accentuate the main selection.
—Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Feb. 2026
The horizontal bands at the waist are smoothing and curve-enhancing, and can be accentuated with a belt to switch things up.
—Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 15 Feb. 2026
By accentuating its own high altitude, the second-year soccer club plans to broaden its goal-scoring menu.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for accentuate
Cite this Entry
“Accentuate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accentuate. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
accentuate
verb
