diff --git a/static/css/theme.css b/static/css/theme.css
index d9dc64ad3c..eff9fd4681 100644
--- a/static/css/theme.css
+++ b/static/css/theme.css
@@ -524,7 +524,13 @@ body:not(.print) #R-body-inner.narrow p {
 }
 
 mark {
+    background: transparent;
+    border-radius: 0.8em 0.3em;
+    -webkit-box-decoration-break: clone;
+    box-decoration-break: clone;
     color: rgba( 0, 0, 0, 1 );
+    margin: 0 -0.4em;
+    padding: 0.1em 0.4em;
 }
 
 h1 {
diff --git a/static/css/variant.css b/static/css/variant.css
index d2c0e68a8e..a714163539 100644
--- a/static/css/variant.css
+++ b/static/css/variant.css
@@ -97,7 +97,12 @@ a:focus,
 }
 
 mark {
-    background-color: var(--INTERNAL-ACCENT-color);
+    background-image: linear-gradient(
+        to right,
+        color-mix( in srgb, var(--INTERNAL-ACCENT-color) 20%, transparent ),
+        color-mix( in srgb, var(--INTERNAL-ACCENT-color) 90%, transparent ) 4%,
+        color-mix( in srgb, var(--INTERNAL-ACCENT-color) 40%, transparent )
+    );
 }
 
 h1 {