emphatic
adjective
em·phat·ic
im-ˈfa-tik 
em-
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
Examples of emphatic in a Sentence
They were emphatic about their political differences.
the governor issued an emphatic denial of all charges
Recent Examples on the Web
Carlile put her emphatic phrasing into the patriotic hymn, elongating notes and smiling at herself after a slight vocal squeak at the end.
—
Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
An emphatic return to form What’s clear is that McKennie is talented and influential.
—Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
After Gonzalez hit a last-second three to force a second OT, Williams played the rest of the way, scoring a go-ahead layup through contact and helping seal the 130-126 victory with an emphatic block.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
Or colons, which are too emphatic.
—Karen Stabiner, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for emphatic
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Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
An emphatic return to form What’s clear is that McKennie is talented and influential.
—Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
After Gonzalez hit a last-second three to force a second OT, Williams played the rest of the way, scoring a go-ahead layup through contact and helping seal the 130-126 victory with an emphatic block.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
Or colons, which are too emphatic.
—Karen Stabiner, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for emphatic
Cite this Entry
“Emphatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emphatic. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
emphatic
adjective
em·phat·ic
im-ˈfat-ik
em-
1
: uttered with or marked by emphasis
2
: tending to express oneself in forceful speech or action
3
: attracting special attention
an emphatic design
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