1. (

• emphasis ,
• accent

) special importance or significance; "the red light gave the central figure increased emphasis"; "the room was decorated in shades of grey with distinctive red accents" ;

2. (

• vehemence ,
• emphasis

) intensity or forcefulness of expression; "the vehemence of his denial"; "his emphasis on civil rights" ;

3. (

• emphasis ,

) special and significant stress by means of position or repetition e.g. ;

4. (

• stress ,
• emphasis ,
• accent

) the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch); "he put the stress on the wrong syllable" ;

1. (

• underscore ,
• underline ,
• emphasize ,
• emphasise ,

) give extra weight to (a communication); "Her gesture emphasized her words" ;

2. (

• stress ,
• emphasize ,
• emphasise ,
• punctuate ,
• accent ,
• accentuate

) to stress, single out as important; "Dr. Jones emphasizes exercise in addition to a change in diet" ;