accent

/ˈæksɛnt/
verb
  1. To emphasize or give special importance to something.
    • The report accents the need for better healthcare.
    • Her speech accented the importance of education.
    • We should accent the positive aspects of the project.
  2. To pronounce a word or syllable with extra force or stress.
    • He accented the wrong syllable, making the word hard to understand.
    • In English, we usually accent the first syllable of two-syllable nouns.
    • When you say 'present', accent the second syllable if it's a verb.
  3. To mark a letter with an accent mark.
    • She accented the 'a' in 'cómo' to show the stress.
    • The word 'naïve' is sometimes accented with a diaeresis.
    • In French, you must accent the 'e' in 'élève'.
Antonyms
noun
  1. A way of pronouncing words that is typical of a particular country, region, or social group.
    • I can tell from your accent that you're from Canada.
    • His Southern accent is very strong.
    • She speaks English with a French accent.
  2. Special importance or emphasis given to something.
    • The company puts a strong accent on customer service.
    • In this course, the accent is on practical skills.
    • The new policy places an accent on environmental protection.
  3. A mark written above or below a letter to show how it should be pronounced, especially in some languages.
    • Spanish uses accent marks to indicate stress.
    • Make sure to add the accent over the 'o' in 'adiós'.
    • In French, the word 'café' has an acute accent on the 'e'.
  4. The emphasis or stress placed on a particular syllable in a word.
    • Learning where to put the accent is important for correct pronunciation.
    • The accent in 'banana' falls on the second syllable.
    • In the word 'record', the accent is on the first syllable when it is a noun.
What does "accent" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean