pronounced

Definitions

Originally the past participle of pronounce ('spoken out, emphasized'). If something has been 'spoken out / emphasized,' it stands out clearly — so pronounced came to mean strongly marked, very noticeable: a pronounced accent, a pronounced limp.

Why It Means This

This is a quiet semantic jump worth noticing. pronounced as an adjective has drifted away from 'speaking': it no longer means anything about the mouth. The bridge is 'emphasized' — what is spoken out is made prominent — so the word now simply means 'standing out, strongly marked.' A pronounced difference is a difference that has been, figuratively, 'spoken out loud.'

Common Collocations

• 1.pronounced effect显著效果
• 2.pronounced difference明显差异
• 3.pronounced tendency明显倾向
• 4.pronounced accent浓重口音
• 5.more pronounced更加明显

Example Sentences

• 1.

  She speaks English with a pronounced French accent.

• 2.

  There was a pronounced difference between the two samples.

• 3.

  His limp became more pronounced as he grew tired.

Easily Confused

pronounced vs obvious — pronounced describes something present in a strong, marked degree (a pronounced accent, a pronounced effect); it's about intensity. obvious is about being easy to see or understand. A trend can be pronounced (strong) without being obvious to everyone, and something obvious need not be pronounced.