highlight
To draw attention to the most important parts
Examples
In a meeting
“Please highlight the key risks in your presentation to the board.”
Over coffee
“Can you highlight the best parts of the movie without spoiling it?”
Why this word
emphasize
highlight suggests making something stand out visually or prominently, while emphasize is more about stressing importance
show
highlight implies drawing special attention to something important, while show is generic and doesn't convey selectivity
feature
highlight means to make prominent from among other elements, while feature suggests making something a main attraction
Usage tip
Use when you want someone to emphasize specific important elements rather than covering everything equally
Etymology
From 'high' + 'light', originally a painting term for bright areas (1650s)
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Related words
broach
To bring up or introduce a topic for discussion
concise
Giving a lot of information clearly in few words.
ambiguous
Open to more than one interpretation; not clear or decided.
convey
To communicate or make an idea, feeling, or meaning known.
reiterate
To say something again for emphasis or clarity.
paraphrase
To restate something in different words to make it clearer or shorter.