accent

1. (linguistics) A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to emphasize it.Examples: "In the word "careful", the accent is placed on the first syllable."Synonyms: stresscountableuncountable

2. (figuratively) Emphasis or importance in general.Examples: "At this hotel, the accent is on luxury."countablefigurativelyuncountable

3. (orthography) A mark or character used in writing, in order to indicate the place of the spoken accent, or to indicate the nature or quality of the vowel marked.Examples: "The name Cézanne is written with an acute accent."; "California, like several other states, prohibits the use of diacritical marks or accents on official documents. That means no tilde (~), no accent grave (`), no umlaut (¨) and certainly no cedilla (¸)."countableuncountable

4. (linguistics, sociolinguistics) The distinctive manner of pronouncing a language associated with a particular region, social group, etc., whether of a native speaker or a foreign speaker; the phonetic and phonological aspects of a dialect.Examples: "a foreign accent"; "a broad Irish accent"; "a hint of a German accent"countableuncountable

5. (linguistics, sociolinguistics) The distinctive manner of pronouncing a language associated with a particular region, social group, etc., whether of a native speaker or a foreign speaker; the phonetic and phonological aspects of a dialect.Examples: "My professor's accent is so thick that it's difficult to understand her lectures."; "She spoke with a strong accent that betrayed her southern roots."; "I was surprised to learn that he was an immigrant, as he spoke without any accent."countableinformalproscribedsometimesuncountable

6. (linguistics, sociolinguistics) The distinctive manner of pronouncing a language associated with a particular region, social group, etc., whether of a native speaker or a foreign speaker; the phonetic and phonological aspects of a dialect.Examples: "I believe I still retain some of my hearing accent when I use American Sign Language."; "Cheesesteaks, Peanut Chews, Tastykakes, oh yeah, the Liberty Bell — there's so much to love about Philadelphia, but one of the best things about the city of Brotherly Love is the accent. We're not talking about spoken English — we're talking about American Sign Language."countableuncountable