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

emphatically

im-ˈfa-ti-k(ə-)lē 

em-

adverb

Synonyms

• aggressive
• assertive
• dynamic
• energetic
• forceful
• full-blooded
• muscular
• resounding
• strenuous
• vehement
• vigorous
• violent

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

The Mavericks, on the other hand, are coming off an emphatic road win over the Kings. —Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025

Catcher Rob Brantly fielded Josh Bell’s dribbler, stepped on home plate and fired the ball to first, ending the threat and eliciting an emphatic fist pump from Quantrill. —Steve Gorten, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2025

However, three birdies in the final four holes including an emphatic long birdie putt on the 18th hole that sent the crowd on hand into a frenzy and move him to 3-under 69 for the day and 10-under for the tournament. —Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2025

James sealed the game with two free throws with 11.1 seconds left and an emphatic block of Alperen Sengun with eight seconds remaining, keeping the Lakers ahead by four. —Austin Knoblauch, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French & Late Latin; French emphatique "forcefully expressive," going back to Middle French, borrowed from Late Latin emphaticus, borrowed from Greek emphatikós "expressive, indicative," from empha-, stem in noun derivation of emphaínein "to exhibit, display, indicate" + -t-, verbal adjective formative + -ikos -ic entry 1 — more at emphasis

First Known Use

1602, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for emphatic

• asthmatic
• chromatic
• climatic
• dogmatic
• dramatic
• ecstatic
• erratic
• eustatic
• fanatic
• hepatic
• lymphatic
• magmatic

Kids 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

emphatically

-ˈfat-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb