View synonyms for connotation

connotation

[ kon-uh-tey-shuhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

1. the associated or secondary meaning of a word or expression in addition to its explicit or primary meaning:
  A possible connotation of “home” is “a place of warmth, comfort, and affection.”
2. the act of connoting; the suggesting of an additional meaning for a word or expression, apart from its explicit meaning.
Synonyms: import, implication, undertone
something suggested or implied by a word or thing, rather than being explicitly named or described:
“Religion” has always had a negative connotation for me.
Logic. the set of attributes constituting the meaning of a term and thus determining the range of objects to which that term may be applied; comprehension; intension.

connotation

/ ˈkɒnəˌteɪtɪv; ˌkɒnəˈteɪʃən; kəˈnəʊtə- /

noun

an association or idea suggested by a word or phrase; implication
the act or fact of connoting
logic another name for intension

connotation

The meaning that a word suggests or implies. A connotation includes the emotions or associations that surround a word. For example, the word modern strictly means “belonging to recent times,” but the word's connotations can include such notions as “new, up to date, experimental.”

Discover More

Derived Forms

ˈconnoˌtatively, adverb
connotative, adjective

Discover More

Other Words From

con·no·ta·tive [kon, -, uh, -tey-tiv, k, uh, -, noh, -t, uh, -], con·notive adjective
conno·tative·ly con·notive·ly adverb
non·conno·tative adjective
non·conno·tative·ly adverb
un·conno·tative adjective

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of connotation¹

First recorded 1375–1425, for an earlier sense, 1525–35 for current senses; late Middle English connotacion, from Medieval Latin connotātiōn-, stem of connotātiō “a noting, marking with,” equivalent to connotāt(us) “marked with” (past participle of connotāre “to note in addition to, mark along with”; connote ) + -iō -ion

Discover More

Example Sentences

That created a word that looks and sounds close enough to another word with obscene connotations that one X user commented Monday: “Angels hat flying close to the sun.”

From Los Angeles Times

Many factors can influence whether a person sees uncertainty with a negative connotation.

From Salon

Chocolate, which was once a symbol of power and virility, took on more feminine connotations once women could enjoy it.

From Salon

And just as words and their meaning can impose a certain reality, the opposite also can be true: A word’s connotations can evolve alongside the things it denotes.

From Los Angeles Times

They also had to overcome the negative connotation business had in their home.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

Connors connotative

Browse