connotation

American  

[kon-uh-tey-shuhn] / ˌkɒn əˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

1. 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

2. 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.

3. 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.

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connotation British  

/ ˈkɒnəˌteɪtɪv, ˌkɒnəˈteɪʃən, kəˈnəʊtə- /

noun

1. an association or idea suggested by a word or phrase; implication

2. the act or fact of connoting

3. logic another name for intension

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connotation Cultural  

1. 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.”

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Other Word Forms

• connotative adjective
• connotatively adverb
• connotive adjective
• connotively adverb
• nonconnotative adjective
• nonconnotatively adverb
• unconnotative adjective

Etymology

Origin of connotation

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

Example Sentences

In 2022, it spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a rebrand, asking to be called either its full name or "the bureau", not the "weather bureau" or "the Bom", given the negative connotations.

From BBC

They eschew the term “squatter,” with all its negative connotations.

From Washington Post

"It was never a political decision to drop the English and there was never any anti-English sort of connotation to it whatsoever," he said.

From BBC

The bro label has historically been associated with negative connotations of toxic masculinity and exclusivity, Dr. Baker said.

From New York Times

Gallyamov has been labeled a “foreign agent” by the Russian authorities, a designation that implies additional government scrutiny and carries strong pejorative connotations aimed at undermining the recipient’s credibility.

From Washington Times

Related Words

• meaning
• overtone
• significance
• undertone