EMPHASIZE Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

emphasize

verb

ˈem(p)-fə-ˌsīz

Definition of emphasize

as in to highlight

to indicate the importance of by centering attention on supermarket tabloids that emphasize sensational news stories

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to reinforce

to make more apparent that huge belt buckle only emphasizes his big gut

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of emphasize However, Bitdefender emphasized that this does not establish that the company created the malware or knew about its presence. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026 The folk tradition, especially, connected her to international Black freedom movements that emphasized labor conditions as a key part of the struggle. — Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026 Now in its third year, U-KNOCK builds on relationships with international investors and Hollywood studios, emphasizing deal-making and long-term partnerships. — Deadline, 23 Oct. 2026 Gerken also emphasized that the foundation's work is nonpartisan. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for emphasize

Recent Examples of Synonyms for emphasize

Verb

Despite his history with Holmes, Carreyrou said the film ultimately helped highlight some of Holmes’ contradictions.

— Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
While other members of the Biden administration have defended Becerra’s performance, his time at the helm highlighted an issue that even allies concede has bedeviled Becerra in the past, his tendency to sometimes recede into the background.

— Ben Wieder, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of highlight

Verb

Mental health experts have voiced concerns about chatbots’ sycophancy, lack of clinical nuance, and ability to reinforce delusional beliefs.

— Andrew R. Chow, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Kim Yo Jong, widely viewed as the second most powerful official in Pyongyang, made the statement after visiting frontline areas where soldiers are reinforcing the border.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of reinforce

Verb

Ramaswamy’s campaign released a video featuring Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, who tells viewers not to vote for her daughter.

— Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2026
The Six Kings Slam tennis tournament—which was set to feature Grand Slam champions Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev—has also been postponed.

— Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of feature

Verb

His share of valid votes in Maranhão fell by nearly five percentage points — the sharpest decline in the region — underscoring the challenge of mobilizing his traditional base.

— Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
The opening underscores the brand’s growing focus on the resort town, following a year that also included its fall 2026 runway show in Aspen.

— Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of underscore

Verb

And even for those who are just ordinarily stressed, being around horses can be calming and restorative — part of a somatic healing approach, which focuses on how the body holds on to emotions.

— Ondine Cohane, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2026
And not to stress anybody out further, but high cortisol suppresses your immune system and increases inflammation, both of which lead to things like quicker aging and poor long-term health outcomes.

— Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of stress

Verb

Throughout history, some were commissioned to enhance the interiors with their signature flair while others bartered their artwork for breaks on daily rates and others simply just thrived off the scene.

— Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
Each picture mode offers essentially the same rich set of options, except for AI-enhanced, which locks you out of some settings (including local contrast and color tuner), presumably because the AI logic is handling those.

— M. David Stone, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of enhance

Verb

Three of the films in the lineup were supported by Film Committee at Media City Qatar, underlining the reach of Qatar’s burgeoning industry.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026
At the time, leader Kim Jong un highlighted the need to equip the navy with nuclear weapons, underlining Pyongyang’s intention to strengthen its maritime deterrence capabilities.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of underline

Verb

But North Korea’s deepening military ties with Russia since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine have led analysts to question whether Pyongyang is becoming less reliant on Beijing.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Residents of the southern Ukrainian ⁠town, occupied by Russian forces since February 2022, have reported a deepening food crisis.

— Reuters, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of deepen

Browse Nearby Words

emphasis

emphasize

emphasized

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Emphasize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emphasize. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of emphasize

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

milieu

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes