Meaning & use
accentuate
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Meaning
verbtransitive
To make a feature, difference, quality, or problem more noticeable or intense.
Grammar: Takes an object: accentuate the contrast; the subject does not simply accentuate.
Patterns
- accentuate the difference
- accentuate features
- accentuate a problem
- accentuate something
Dark walls accentuate the bright furniture.
The report said remote work can accentuate isolation for some employees.
Word forms
| third person singular | accentuates |
|---|---|
| past tense | accentuated |
| past participle | accentuated |
| -ing form | accentuating |
Common combinations
- accentuate the positive
- Her coach told her to accentuate the positive before the match.
- accentuate differences
- The headline seemed to accentuate differences between neighbors.
- accentuate features
- Bold frames accentuate features without hiding them.
Synonyms and how they differ
- emphasize
- Emphasize is the broader everyday word; accentuate often implies making a contrast or feature stand out sharply.
- highlight
- Highlight points out what is important; accentuate can intensify or sharpen the effect itself.
- underscore
- Underscore stresses importance or support for a point, less often physical appearance.
Opposites
Word family
- accent noun
- Emphasis or a pronunciation pattern.
- accented adjective
- Emphasized or spoken with an accent.
- accentuation noun
- Emphasis or stress pattern.
Commonly confused: accentuate or accent? accentuate or exacerbate?
accentuate vs accent
Accent can be a noun for pronunciation or emphasis; accentuate is the verb meaning make more noticeable.
accentuate vs exacerbate
Exacerbate means make a problem worse; accentuate means make it more noticeable, though bad features may feel worse.
Practice
Which sentence uses accentuate correctly?
Choose one answer.
Accentuate is transitive and takes a direct object: it makes the cracks more visible. Option B adds an unnecessary preposition, C reverses the sensible relationship, and D uses the base form after is.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “accentuate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.