| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | accentuate, emphasize |
| Synonyms: | accent, belabor, dwell on, feature, harp on, headline, italicize, lay emphasis on, make emphatic, play up, point up, repeat, rub in, spot, spotlight*, underline, underscore* |
| Antonyms: | attenuate, reduce, relax |
| Main Entry: | accent |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | place emphasis, importance |
| Synonyms: | accentuate, draw attention to, emphasize, highlight, intensify, stress, underline, underscore |
| Antonyms: | disacknowledge, minimize |
| Main Entry: | accentuate |
| 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: | assert |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | insist, declare, maintain |
| Synonyms: | advance, affirm, allege, argue, asservate, attest, aver, avouch, avow, butt in, cite, claim, contend, defend, horn in, justify, mouth off, pop off, predicate, press, proclaim, profess, pronounce, protest, put forward, say, shoot off one's mouth, shoot one's wad, stand up for, state, stress, swear, uphold, vindicate, warrant |
| Antonyms: | deny, reject |
| Main Entry: | assertion |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | declaration, positive statement |
| Synonyms: | affirmation, allegation, asservation, attestation, avowal, contention, defense, insistence, maintenance, mouthful, okay, predication, profession, pronouncement, report, say so, stamp of approval, stressing, two cents' worth, vindication |
| Antonyms: | denial, rejection |
| Main Entry: | declare |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make known clearly or officially |
| Synonyms: | acknowledge, advance, advocate, affirm, allegate, allege, announce, argue, assert, asservate, attest, aver, avow, be positive, blaze, bring forward, certify, cite, claim, confess, confirm, contend, convey, demonstrate, disclose, enunciate, give out, inform, insist, maintain, manifest, notify, pass, proclaim, profess, promulgate, pronounce, propound, publish, put forward, reaffirm, reassert, render, repeat, reveal, set forth, show, sound, state, stress, swear, tell, testify, validate, vouch |
| Antonyms: | deny, disavow, retract |
| Main Entry: | distress |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | worry, upset |
| Synonyms: | afflict, aggrieve, agonize, ail, be on one's case, bother, break, bug, burn up, depress, desolate, discombobulate, disquiet, disturb, do a number on, dog*, eat*, get to, get*, give a hard time, grieve, harass, harry, hound, hurt, injure, irk, irritate, make it tough for, miff, nag, needle, nit-pick, oppress, pain, peeve, perplex, pester, pick on, plague, push, push buttons, rack, sadden, strain, strap, stress, tick off, torment, torture, trouble, try, vex, weigh, wound |
| Antonyms: | assist, calm, comfort, help, soothe |
| Main Entry: | enforce |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | put a rule, plan in force |
| Synonyms: | accomplish, administer, administrate, apply, carry out, coerce, commandeer, compel, constrain, crack down, demand, dictate, discharge, dragoon, drive, effect, egg on, emphasize, exact, execute, exert, expect, extort, force upon, fortify, fulfill, goad, hound, impel, implement, impose, incite, insist on, invoke, lash, lean on, make, necessitate, oblige, perform, press, prosecute, put into effect, put screws to, reinforce, require, sanction, spur, strain, stress, strong-arm, support, urge, whip, wrest |
| Antonyms: | abandon, disregard, drop, forego, forget, give up, neglect, overlook |
| 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 |