Meanings
nountonic accent (plural tonic accents)
plural tonic accents
- human sciencesThe syllable in a word which receives the most stress in an intonation unit.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounemphasis that results from pitch rather than loudness
Similar
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
APA
tonic accent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tonic%20accent
MLA
“tonic accent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tonic%20accent. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tonic accent,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tonic%20accent.
Source: tonic accent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.