Unemphasised

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not given special force, weight or prominence when spoken, written or presented, so that it fails to stand out
2. Lacking stress in pronunciation or any added importance in expression, so that it passes without drawing attention
3. Presented without added weight or accent, meaning the item receives little notice or significance in its delivery

Etymology: "Unemphasised" is the British spelling of "unemphasized," and it is built in the simplest way English builds words: the prefix "un-," meaning "not," attached to "emphasised," the past participle of "emphasise." The prefix has been used this way since Old English, so it can be attached to almost any verb that describes an action, turning "to stress" into "not stressed." "Emphasise" itself comes from "emphasis," a term borrowed from Greek "emphasis," meaning "appearance" or "display," which derives from "emphainein," "to show forth" or "to indicate." Its original sense was a rhetorical one: giving special force to a word or phrase in speech. The sense of extra weight or importance came later, and the adjective describes anything that has been given no such extra weight.

Synonyms: unstressed, unaccented, understated

Antonyms: emphasised, stressed, accented