spotlight
To draw attention to or highlight something important
Examples
In a meeting
“This presentation will spotlight the achievements of our team this year.”
Over coffee
“The article spotlights small businesses doing good in the community.”
Why this word
highlight
Spotlight emphasizes drawing attention to something as the main focus, while highlight can mean simply making something visible among other things
emphasize
Spotlight creates a visual metaphor of singular focus and attention, while emphasize is more general about giving importance
feature
Spotlight suggests actively directing attention to something, while feature implies presenting something prominently but more passively
Usage tip
Use when you want to emphasize or feature something prominently; adds visual imagery to your point
Etymology
English: spot (particular place) + light (illumination); from theatrical lighting
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Related words
reiterate
To say something again for emphasis or clarity.
understate
To describe something as less significant than it actually is
disregard
To pay no attention to or ignore deliberately
underscore
To emphasize or highlight the importance of something
cursory
Hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed
scrutinize
Examine something very carefully and thoroughly