marked

comparative more marked · superlative most marked · alternative markèd

1. Having a visible or identifying mark.
   1. Having a secret mark on the back for cheating.
2. Clearly evident; noticeable; conspicuous.

   The eighth century BC saw a marked increase in the general wealth of Cyprus.

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   In ancient times, the Romans imported truffles, credited with marked aphrodisiac virtue, from Libya as well as Greece.

   1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 137

   The drop in merchandise and mineral receipts again reflects the fall in steel output, most marked in the North-East; […].

   1962 October, “Talking of Trains: Little passenger traffic and less freight”, in Modern Railways, pages 220–221

   There has been a marked shift in viewing habits since the channels’ heyday, with music videos now more commonly consumed on YouTube and social media rather than television.

   2026 January 1, Max Pilley, “MTV shuts down final music-only channels with ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’”, in NME

   Synonyms: manifest, noticeable, obtrusive, palpable, patent, noted

3. phonemeformhuman sciencesDistinguished by a positive feature.

   "Young" is the marked element of the old/young pair, since the usual way of asking someone's age is "How old are you?".

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   It is frequently the case that of two units in contrast (and for simplicity we may restrict ourselves to two-term contrasts) one will be positive, or marked, the other being neutral, or unmarked. […] The plural is positively marked by the final s, whereas the singular is unmarked.

   1968, John Lyons, Introduction to Theoretical Linguistics, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 79

   Synonyms: singled out, targeted, positive · Antonyms: unmarked

4. Singled out; suspicious; treated with hostility; the object of vengeance.

   Former police officer Johnnie suddenly found himself a marked man when his fiancée fell for a ruthless gangster.

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   My secret terror for the last six months has been leaving them on the Moon and returning to Earth alone; now I am within minutes of finding out the truth of the matter. If they fail to rise from the surface, or crash back into it, I am not going to commit suicide; I am coming home, forthwith, but I will be a marked man for life and I know it.

   1974, Michael Collins, Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN, pages 411–412

5. In police livery, as opposed to unmarked. (of a police vehicle)

1. participlepastsimple past and past participle of mark