diff --git a/crates/typst-layout/src/math/accent.rs b/crates/typst-layout/src/math/accent.rs
index e7f051ace..32937c52b 100644
--- a/crates/typst-layout/src/math/accent.rs
+++ b/crates/typst-layout/src/math/accent.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 use typst_library::diag::SourceResult;
 use typst_library::foundations::{Packed, StyleChain};
-use typst_library::layout::{Em, Frame, Point, Size};
+use typst_library::layout::{Frame, Point, Size};
 use typst_library::math::AccentElem;
 
 use super::{
@@ -8,9 +8,6 @@ use super::{
     MathFragment,
 };
 
-/// How much the accent can be shorter than the base.
-const ACCENT_SHORT_FALL: Em = Em::new(0.5);
-
 /// Lays out an [`AccentElem`].
 #[typst_macros::time(name = "math.accent", span = elem.span())]
 pub fn layout_accent(
@@ -45,11 +42,8 @@ pub fn layout_accent(
     let mut glyph =
         GlyphFragment::new_char(ctx.font, accent_styles, accent.0, elem.span())?;
 
-    // Forcing the accent to be at least as large as the base makes it too wide
-    // in many cases.
-    let width = elem.size.resolve(styles).relative_to(base.width());
-    let short_fall = ACCENT_SHORT_FALL.at(glyph.item.size);
-    glyph.stretch_horizontal(ctx, width - short_fall);
+    let width = elem.size.get_ref(styles).resolve(ctx.engine, styles, base.width())?;
+    glyph.stretch_horizontal(ctx, width);
     let accent_attach = glyph.accent_attach.0;
     let accent = glyph.into_frame();
 
diff --git a/crates/typst-library/src/math/accent.rs b/crates/typst-library/src/math/accent.rs
index 5a9c47aea..2921c95ac 100644
--- a/crates/typst-library/src/math/accent.rs
+++ b/crates/typst-library/src/math/accent.rs
@@ -6,9 +6,21 @@ use icu_provider::AsDeserializingBufferProvider;
 use icu_provider_blob::BlobDataProvider;
 
 use crate::diag::bail;
-use crate::foundations::{cast, elem, func, Content, NativeElement, SymbolElem};
-use crate::layout::{Length, Rel};
-use crate::math::Mathy;
+use crate::foundations::{
+    cast, elem, func, Content, NativeElement, NativeFunc, SymbolElem,
+};
+use crate::layout::{Em, Length, Ratio, Rel};
+use crate::math::{Mathy, StretchSize};
+
+const ACCENT_SHORT_FALL: Em = Em::new(-0.5);
+
+#[func(name = "x => x - 0.5em")]
+const fn default_accent_size(base: Length) -> Rel {
+    Rel {
+        rel: Ratio::zero(),
+        abs: Length { abs: base.abs, em: ACCENT_SHORT_FALL },
+    }
+}
 
 /// Attaches an accent to a base.
 ///
@@ -59,11 +71,14 @@ pub struct AccentElem {
 
     /// The size of the accent, relative to the width of the base.
     ///
+    /// See the [stretch documentation]($math.stretch.size) for more
+    /// information on sizes.
+    ///
     /// ```example
     /// $dash(A, size: #150%)$
     /// ```
-    #[default(Rel::one())]
-    pub size: Rel<Length>,
+    #[default(<default_accent_size>::data().into())]
+    pub size: StretchSize,
 
     /// Whether to remove the dot on top of lowercase i and j when adding a top
     /// accent.
@@ -140,8 +155,11 @@ macro_rules! accents {
                 /// The base to which the accent is applied.
                 base: Content,
                 /// The size of the accent, relative to the width of the base.
+                ///
+                /// See the [stretch documentation]($math.stretch.size) for
+                /// more information on sizes.
                 #[named]
-                size: Option<Rel<Length>>,
+                size: Option<StretchSize>,
                 /// Whether to remove the dot on top of lowercase i and j when
                 /// adding a top accent.
                 #[named]
diff --git a/tests/ref/math-accent-sized-function.png b/tests/ref/math-accent-sized-function.png
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9bd52a6e7
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/ref/math-accent-sized-function.png differ
diff --git a/tests/suite/math/accent.typ b/tests/suite/math/accent.typ
index 0aef41e20..a4e1a40d9 100644
--- a/tests/suite/math/accent.typ
+++ b/tests/suite/math/accent.typ
@@ -30,11 +30,17 @@ $ tilde(integral), tilde(integral)_a^b, tilde(integral_a^b) $
 
 --- math-accent-sized ---
 // Test accent size.
-$tilde(sum), tilde(sum, size: #50%), accent(H, hat, size: #200%)$
+$tilde(sum), tilde(sum, size: #25%), accent(H, hat, size: #125%)$
 
 --- math-accent-sized-script ---
 // Test accent size in script size.
-$tilde(U, size: #1.1em), x^tilde(U, size: #1.1em), sscript(tilde(U, size: #1.1em))$
+$tilde(U, size: #0.6em), x^tilde(U, size: #0.6em), sscript(tilde(U, size: #0.6em))$
+
+--- math-accent-sized-function ---
+// Test accent size with a function.
+$dash(A) arrow(I) hat(L)$ \
+#set math.accent(size: x => x - 0.1em)
+$dash(A) arrow(I) hat(L)$
 
 --- math-accent-dotless ---
 // Test dotless glyph variants.
@@ -85,7 +91,7 @@ $ accent(integral, \u{20EC}), accent(integral, \u{20EC})_a^b, accent(integral_a^
 
 --- math-accent-bottom-sized ---
 // Test bottom accent size.
-$accent(sum, \u{0330}), accent(sum, \u{0330}, size: #50%), accent(H, \u{032D}, size: #200%)$
+$accent(sum, \u{0330}), accent(sum, \u{0330}, size: #25%), accent(H, \u{032D}, size: #125%)$
 
 --- math-accent-nested ---
 // Test nested top and bottom accents.