— emphatically , adv. — emphaticalness , n.
/em fat"ik/ , adj.
1. uttered, or to be uttered, with emphasis; strongly expressive.
2. using emphasis in speech or action.
3. forceful; insistent: a big, emphatic man; I must be emphatic about this particular.
4. very impressive or significant; strongly marked; striking: the emphatic beauty of sunset.
5. clearly or boldly outlined: It stands, like a great, stone dagger, emphatic against the sky.
6. Gram. of or pertaining to a form used to add emphasis, esp., in English, stressed auxiliary do in affirmative statements, as in He did call you or I do like it.
7. Phonet. having a secondary velar articulation, as certain dental consonants in Arabic.
n.
8. an emphatic consonant.
[ 1700-10; emphatikós indicative, forceful, equiv. to * emphat ( ós ) ( em- EM- 2 + phatós, var. of PHANTÓS visible, equiv. to phan-, s. of phaínesthai to appear + -tos adj. suffix) + -ikos -IC ]
Syn. 3. positive, energetic, forcible, pronounced, decided, unequivocal, definite.
Ant. 3. weak.