What does emphatical mean?
Emphatical is an adjective meaning forceful, strongly marked, or full of emphasis — said of speech, gestures, writing, or any expression delivered with conviction and intensity. An emphatical refusal, for instance, leaves no room for doubt; an emphatical speaker drives every point home. The word entered English in the sixteenth century as an extended form of 'emphatic', both ultimately deriving from Greek emphasis, meaning significance or force of expression, which itself comes from a verb meaning 'to show' or 'to indicate'. For centuries the two forms coexisted, with 'emphatical' common in the works of writers such as Milton and later essayists, but over time the shorter 'emphatic' won out. Today 'emphatical' is rare, surviving chiefly in older literature or in consciously archaic or elevated prose. Readers encountering it should simply understand it as the fuller, more ornate equivalent of 'emphatic', carrying the same sense of unmistakable forcefulness.
adjectiveExpressing or characterized by emphasis; forceful and strongly marked in expression. A now largely archaic or literary synonym of 'emphatic'.
- Forcefully expressive or strongly marked; conveying emphasis (the standard sense).
- (Of language or style) striking or impressive by virtue of its force.
"Her emphatical refusal left no doubt about where she stood."
"The witness gave an emphatical account of what she had seen."
"His emphatical style of preaching drew large congregations to the chapel."
Before 'emphatic' took over English, writers reached for its longer cousin 'emphatical' — a form Shakespeare's contemporaries knew well but you'll rarely meet outside old books.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of emphatical
Emphatical derives from the Greek noun emphasis, meaning 'significance' or 'force of expression', formed from em- ('in') plus phainein ('to show'), so an 'emphasis' was literally something shown forth. The word passed into Latin and then French before entering English in the sixteenth century alongside the shorter form 'emphatic'. Both variants were used interchangeably by early modern writers, but 'emphatic' gradually became the standard modern choice, leaving 'emphatical' as a largely archaic alternative.
Related word forms
How emphatical is actually used
Largely superseded by 'emphatic'; today it survives mainly in historical texts, literary prose, or deliberately archaic style.
Easily confused with emphatical
'Emphatic' is the standard modern form of the word, while 'emphatical' is an older, largely obsolete variant meaning essentially the same thing.