verb
- removes emphasis or accent from a syllable or word
Usage: linguistics
Examples
- The poet unstresses certain syllables to create a smoother rhythm.
- In casual speech, speakers often unstress function words like ‘the’ and ‘of’.
- The teacher explained how English unstresses vowels in unstressed syllables.
- This dialect unstresses the final syllable of many words.
- The metrical pattern unstresses every other beat.
- When speaking quickly, we naturally unstress less important words.