Meaning & use
emphatic agreement
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Meanings
noununcountable
A strong, clearly expressed way of saying yes or showing that you fully share someone's opinion.
Grammar: Used as a mass noun: you give or express emphatic agreement, not 'an emphatic agreement'.
Patterns
- express emphatic agreement with someone
- nod in emphatic agreement
- emphatic agreement that ...
When she said the plan was too expensive, he nodded in emphatic agreement.
The whole committee expressed emphatic agreement with the chair's proposal.
Her emphatic agreement surprised me, because she usually argues with everything.
noununcountabletechnical
In grammar, the use of a repeated or stressed word to strengthen a statement of agreement.
Grammar: A technical label for patterns like 'Yes, I do agree'; normally only in language study.
Patterns
- emphatic agreement in English
- use emphatic agreement
In English, 'I certainly do' is a form of emphatic agreement.
The textbook explains emphatic agreement with examples such as 'Yes, absolutely'.
Common combinations
- express emphatic agreement
- Several delegates expressed emphatic agreement with the report.
- nod in emphatic agreement
- She nodded in emphatic agreement as he listed the problems.
- a murmur of emphatic agreement
- A murmur of emphatic agreement ran through the room.
- emphatic agreement with something
- There was emphatic agreement with the new safety rules.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wholehearted agreement
- Focuses on complete, sincere support, while emphatic agreement stresses how strongly it is expressed.
- strong approval
- Talks about liking an idea rather than the act of saying you agree with a person.
Opposites
Word family
- emphatic adjective
- Said or done with strong force to show importance.
- emphatically adverb
- In a strong, definite way: 'She emphatically denied it.'
- emphasis noun
- Special importance or stress given to something.
Commonly confused: emphatic agreement or empathetic?
emphatic agreement vs empathetic
Sounds similar but means 'able to share another person's feelings'; it has nothing to do with agreeing.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'emphatic agreement' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
'Nod in emphatic agreement with someone' is the natural pattern. Option 0 is wrong because you do not 'give an agreement to' a person in this sense, and options 2 and 3 misuse the noun grammatically.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “emphatic agreement”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.