Pronounced

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /pɹəˈnaʊnst/

Definitions

1. Articulated in a manner that conveys exact meaning to the audience
2. Expressed audibly in a way that is easy to understand
3. Voiced with clear enunciation to make the message comprehensible

Etymology: The adjective "pronounced" is the past participle of "pronounce," and its sense of "clearly marked" grew out of a much older meaning of "pronounce" as a formal public declaration. The verb was recorded in Middle English around 1330 as "pronouncen," meaning to utter or declare officially, borrowed through Old French "prononcier" from Latin "prōnūntiō." That Latin root is built from "prō-," meaning "forth" or "in public," and "nūntiō," meaning "to announce," from "nūntius," a messenger. So at its core, to pronounce something was to proclaim it before others, as a messenger would deliver news. Speaking aloud in public was the heart of the idea, which is why the word came to mean sounding out syllables and words. The adjective keeps that sense of deliberate, public clarity. A "pronounced" accent or limp is one stated plainly enough that everyone notices it, which is the work the original Latin messenger did.

Synonyms: articulated, enunciated, expressed, stated, declared

Antonyms: mumbled, muffled, unspoken, inaudible, obscured