emphatic

Alternative forms

• emphatick (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɪmˈfætɪk/
• (weak vowel merger) IPA: /əmˈfætək/

Adjective

emphatic (comparative more emphatic, superlative most emphatic)

1. Characterized by emphasis; forceful.
2. Stated with conviction.
   • He gave me an emphatic no when I asked him out.
3. (grammar) Belonging to a set of English tense forms comprising the auxiliary verb do + an infinitive without to.
4. (phonology) Belonging to a series of obstruent consonants in several Afro-Asiatic languages that are distinguished by a guttural (co-)articulation.
   • Antonym: plain
   1. pharyngealized consonants in Arabic, Hebrew, other Northwest Semitic languages, and Berber languages
   2. ejective consonants in Ge'ez, Amharic, other Ethiopic Semitic languages, Chadic and Cushitic languages
5. (phonology, archaic except in layman’s use) Referring to the above consonants as well as /ħ/ and /ʕ/ (these being seen as emphatic equivalents of /h/ and /ʔ/).

Noun

emphatic (plural emphatics)

1. (phonology) An emphatic consonant.
2. (linguistics) A word or phrase adding emphasis, such as "a lot" or "really".

Anagrams

• empathic