| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | focus attention on |
| Synonyms: | accent, bring attention to, call attention to, draw attention to, emphasize, feature, give prominence to, highlight, point up, spotlight, stress, underline, underscore |
| Antonyms: | divert attention from, mask |
| Main Entry: | emphasize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | stress, give priority to |
| Synonyms: | accent, accentuate, affirm, articulate, assert, bear down, charge, dramatize, dwell on, enlarge, enunciate, headline, highlight, hit*, impress, indicate, insist on, italicize, labor the point, limelight, maintain, make a point, make clear, make emphatic, make much of, mark, pinpoint, play up, point out*, point up, press, pronounce, punctuate, put accent on, reiterate, repeat, rub in, spotlight*, underline, underscore, weight |
| Antonyms: | depreciate, forget, ignore, play down, understate |
| Main Entry: | feature |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | give prominence to |
| Synonyms: | accentuate, advertise, blaze*, call attention to, emphasize, headline, italicize, make conspicuous, mark, play up, point up, present, promote, set off, spotlight*, star, stress, underline, underscore |
| Notes: | the opener comes first in a three-comic show, followed by the feature, followed by the headliner |
| Antonyms: | disregard, ignore |
| Main Entry: | intensify |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make more forceful, severe |
| Synonyms: | accent, accentuate, add fuel, add to, aggrandize, aggravate, augment, beef up, boost, brighten, build up, concentrate, darken, deepen, emphasize, enhance, escalate, exacerbate, exalt, heat up, heighten, increase, intensate, lighten, magnify, point, pour it on, quicken, raise, redouble, reinforce, rise, rouse, set off, sharpen, spike*, step up, strengthen, stress, tone up, whet |
| Antonyms: | calm, lower, slow, soothe, weaken |
| Main Entry: | overplay |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | be dramatic |
| Synonyms: | accent, accentuate, blow out of proportion, dramatize, exaggerate, get carried away, ham it up, hyperbolize, labor at, lay it on thick, magnify, maximize, mug, overact, overdo, overdraw, overemphasize, overstate, overstress, overuse, overwork, point up, show off*, stretch |
| Antonyms: | play down |
| Main Entry: | play up |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | emphasize |
| Synonyms: | accentuate, bring to the fore, call attention to, feature, highlight, italicize, magnify, make a production of, point up, stress, turn spotlight on, underline, underscore |
| Antonyms: | deemphasize, play down, underrate, undervalue |
| Main Entry: | punctuate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | lay stress on |
| Synonyms: | accent, accentuate, break, divide, emphasize, interject, interrupt, intersect, intersperse, mark, pepper, point, point up, separate, sprinkle, stress, underline |
| Main Entry: | spotlight |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | focus attention on |
| Synonyms: | accentuate, draw attention, feature, floodlight, give prominence, highlight, illuminate, limelight, point up, publicize, put on center stage |
| Antonyms: | turn aside |
| Main Entry: | underline |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | emphasize; mark |
| Synonyms: | accentuate, bracket, call attention to, caption, check off, draw attention to, feature, give emphasis, highlight, indicate, interlineate, italicize, play up, point to, point up, rule, stress, underscore |