Accusing is the act of stating or implying that someone has committed a fault, crime, or wrong. It typically involves asserting blame or fault, often in a charged or formal context, and can carry accusatory or confrontational undertones. The word can describe the act itself or the person performing it in a given situation.
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"During the meeting, she was careful not to accuse the colleague outright, focusing instead on the facts."
"The CEO avoided accusing anyone by name, preferring to discuss the allegations as issues to be investigated."
"His tone suggested he was accusing others of negligence, even though no formal charges were presented."
"The counselor warned that accusatory language can escalate conflict rather than resolve it."
Accusing derives from the verb accuse, which traces back to Middle English accusen, from Latin accusare, meaning 'to call to account' or 'to blame.' The prefix ad- meaning 'toward' combined with causa 'a cause, reason' contributed to the sense of bringing someone to account. The noun form accusation emerged in English in the 14th century, with the present participle accusing appearing later as a distinct verbal adjective or participle describing the act or the person performing it. Over time, the nuance shifted from a formal legal sense to a broader interpersonal use, where to accuse is to assert that someone is at fault, sometimes without full proof. The word retains its charge in both legal and everyday contexts, often carrying emotional weight as blame is assigned. First known uses appear in medieval legal and religious texts, evolving through Early Modern English as debates about guilt, culpability, and responsibility intensified in social and judicial discourse.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "accusing" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "accusing" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "accusing"
-ing sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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It’s /əˈkjuː.zɪŋ/ in US/UK/AU. The first syllable is unstressed, a schwa, then a strong secondary beat on the 'cuse' part with /ˈkjuː/ beginning the stressed syllable, followed by a soft /zɪŋ/ ending. Tip: keep the /j/ sound as a smooth y-like glide after the /k/ and ensure the /z/ is voiced clearly before the final nasal. Mouth position: relaxed lips for the schwa, high-front tongue for /kjuː/, and a light, buzzing /z/ before the velar nasal /ŋ/. You’ll hear a gentle transition from the syllable boundary without over-enunciating.
Common errors: 1) Pronouncing as ac-CU-sing with wrong stress (placing emphasis on the first syllable). 2) Slurring the /kjuː/ into a flat /kuː/ or misplacing the /z/ as /s/. 3) Omitting the voiced /z/ or treating the ending as /ɪŋ/ with a short vowel. Corrections: emphasize the second syllable with /ˈkjuː/; articulate the /z/ as a voiced consonant before the final /ŋ/; keep the /ɪŋ/ relaxed and nasalized. Practice with minimal pairs to feel the voicing and juncture: /əˈkjuː.zɪŋ/.
US/UK/AU share /əˈkjuː.zɪŋ/, but rhoticity and vowel color affect the first vowel in the stressed syllable and the quality of the /ɪ/ in the final syllable. US tends to a slightly stronger rhoticity in connected speech and a clearer /ɪ/ in -ing; UK often features a crisper /juː/ and less intrusive linking in rapid speech; AU tends toward broader vowel quality with a slightly more centralized /ɪ/ and more relaxed syllable timing. The /z/ remains a voiced fricative; ensure it’s not devoiced in rapid speech.
The difficulty lies in the sequence of a stressed /ˈkjuː/ onset after an unstressed schwa, followed by a voiced /z/ and a final velar nasal /ŋ/. The /j/ glide after /k/ can blur with the preceding vowel if not separated, and the /z/ must stay voiced before /ŋ/, not turn into /s/. Managing the vowel length and voicing across a morphing connected speech stream is challenging, especially in fast conversation.
Yes. Focus on the secondary stress association: after the weak first syllable, tilt your mouth into a tight /kjuː/ sound, then let your tongue lightly vibrate for the /z/. In conversations, you can slow down on the transition: a-kjuː-zɪŋ, and practice with a mirror to monitor lip rounding, tongue blade height, and the slight raise of the tongue for the /juː/ sequence. Use slow, then progressive speed drills to cement the pattern.
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