diacritic

D2I1A1C3R1I1T1I1C3
UK/ˌdaɪəˈkɹɪtɪk/Canada, US[ˌdaɪəˈkɹɪɾɪk]Australia/ˌdɑɪəˈkɹɪtɪk/Australia[ˌdɑɪəˈkɹɪɾɪk]

adjective

Distinguishing.

Similar
diacriticaldiacritical markdiscriminating
OriginAncient Greek δῐᾰκρῐτῐκός (dĭăkrĭtĭkós) ← Proto-Hellenic *kríňňō ← Proto-Indo-European *krinyéti →
UncommonScrabble 14
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Meanings

adjectivediacritic (comparative more diacritic, superlative most diacritic)

comparative more diacritic · superlative most diacritic

  1. Distinguishing.
  2. not comparablecommunicationsDenoting a distinguishing mark applied to a letter or character.
noundiacritic (plural diacritics)

plural diacritics

  1. A special mark added to a letter to indicate a different pronunciation, stress, tone, or meaning.

    Synonyms: diacritical, diacritical mark

  2. more looselyA letter added to another letter serving a similar indicative function.

    A notable feature in N is the frequent oa spellings […] The a is here a diacritic which is meant to distinguish /ɔ̄/ from /ō/ on the model of the distinction ea /ǣ/—e /ē/ in the AB texts.

    1965, Arne Zettersten, Studies in the dialect and vocabulary of the Ancrene Riwle (Lund Studies in English; 31), Lund: C. W. K. Gleerup, page 173

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA special mark added to a letter to indicate a different pronunciation, stress, tone, or meaning.

Similar
diacriticaldiacritical mark
Similar
diacritical

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivecapable of distinguishing

Similar
diacriticaldiscriminating

nouna mark added to a letter to indicate a special pronunciation

Similar
diacritical mark
Broader
mark
Also see
accent markdiacriticaldiacritical markdiscriminating

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
  2. Proto-Indo-European*trísinflu.
  3. Proto-Indo-European*dwís
  4. Ancient Greekδιά (diá)
  5. Ancient Greekδια- (dia-)
  6. Proto-Indo-European*krey-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*krinyéti
  8. Proto-Hellenic*kríňňō
  9. Ancient Greekκρῑ́νω (krī́nō)
  10. Ancient Greekκρῐ- (krĭ-)
  11. Ancient Greekκρῐτής (krĭtḗs)
  12. Ancient Greekκριτικός (kritikós)
  13. Ancient Greekδῐᾰκρῐτῐκός (dĭăkrĭtĭkós)
  14. Englishdiacritic

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek διακριτικός (diakritikós, “distinguishing, separative”), from διακρῑ́νω (diakrī́nō, “to distinguish, separate”), from δια- (dia-, “between”) + κρῑ́νω (krī́nō, “I separate, distinguish”).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Spanish diacrítico
  • diacríticodiacritical mark

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with diacritic

criticanalyticcatalyticSemiticparalyticcliticgranulocyticUgariticchondriticencliticneriticamylohydrolyticanti-semiticaphaniticArvaniticautolyticbiolyticdialyticEthiosemiticHadramitichelicitichepatiticHimyariticisolytic
All rhymes →

Anagrams

triacidic
Cite this entry
APA

diacritic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diacritic

MLA

“diacritic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diacritic. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “diacritic,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diacritic.

Source: diacritic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.