Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 3, 2023 is: accentuate \ak-SEN-shu-wayt\ verb

Accentuate means “to make something more noticeable.”

// He likes to wear clothes that accentuate his muscular build.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accentuate)

Examples:

“With a tunnel of light haloing her from the outside, Brittney Parks is dressed like a ‘90s vixen in baggy jeans and an understated crop top, hair down past her waist, with perfect accessories that accentuate her shine.” — Harmony Holiday, Pitchfork, 13 Dec. 2022

Did you know?

When you accentuate something you put an “accent,” or emphasis, on it. There’s no need to [stress](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stress#h2) out if you don’t know the word’s history, though; its journey into the English language was very straightforward. It comes from Latin accentus, meaning [“accent”](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accent) (which itself comes in part from cantus, meaning “song”), and since the early 18th century, its meanings haven’t changed much. The word was initially used as a synonym of the verb [accent](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accent#h2) to mean “to pronounce with greater stress or force,” which is a small leap from today’s meaning of “to make something more noticeable; to emphasize.” One excellent way to remember not only how to pronounce accentuate but also its etymological connection to song is the classic (and helpfully titled) tune “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive,” by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, which has been performed by such [luminaries](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/luminaries) as Dinah Washington, Sam Cooke, and Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters.