connote
Americanverb (used with object)
-
connotes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
connoted,
past participle, past
-
connoting
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
connotes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
connoted,
past participle, past
-
connoting
present participle
verb
-
(of a word, phrase, etc) to imply or suggest (associations or ideas) other than the literal meaning
the word "maiden" connotes modesty
-
to involve as a consequence or condition
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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connotesimple
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connotessimple
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have connotedperfect
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has connotedperfect
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am connotingprogressive
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are connotingprogressive
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is connotingprogressive
-
have been connotingperfect progressive
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has been connotingperfect progressive
Past
-
connotedsimple
-
had connotedperfect
-
was connotingprogressive
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were connotingprogressive
-
had been connotingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of connote
1645–55; < Medieval Latin connotāre, equivalent to Latin con- con- + notāre to note
Compare meaning
How does connote compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Often your body language can connote or imply how you feel without you having to saying it directly. For example, if you fold your arms and look away from someone as he speaks to you, you are connoting your discomfort. When you act a certain way to show how you feel rather than just outright saying it, you're connoting or suggesting that emotion. Words can often connote or suggest certain meanings or ideas. The word turbulent connotes the image of a bumpy ride on an airplane, for example. Connote is also used in formal logic. If A connotes B, then for A to be true, B has to also be true.
Vocabulary lists containing connote
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Restomod SUVs have price tags that connote luxury, but owners say they also demonstrate a different type of status.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
By the end, Veloso brought in a Steadicam to connote that Robert has found more peace in his later years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2026
Our house didn’t connote individuality any more than a GHW does; if anything, it connoted that we fit in—that we lived in the same kind of house as lots of our neighbors.
From Slate ● Mar. 6, 2025
She used it for emphasis, to connote dismissiveness and to demonstrate exasperation.
From New York Times ● Feb. 24, 2024
If you like granite, you might like the house; but even if you don’t, “granite” certainly doesn’t connote a fixer-upper.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
Buzz’s “To infinity and beyond” catchphrase connotes adventure and exploration, and the character’s journey from self-serious bravado to emotional vulnerability has given him a superpower far greater than the ability to fly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
For many people, “all-inclusive” connotes sugary cocktails, forced socializing and buffet-style dining.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 10, 2025
Prediction marketers tell courts that the CFTC’s lack of objections connotes tacit approval.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2025
Moreover, this assistance is limited to “federal purposes,” a term that typically connotes the protection of federal personnel or property.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2025
Denotā′tion, that which a word names or indicates, in contradistinction to that which it connotes or signifies.—adj.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various
For a half-century, the Wasserman name connoted power—in Hollywood and in Washington.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 21, 2026
It did, but this is a spinoff of the Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuck hit anthology series, its differences connoted in the last few letters of the shows’ titles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2023
“The Free World” is an old-fashioned phrase that once connoted the United States, its allies, and their spheres of influence, and The Free World is in some ways an old-fashioned book.
From Slate ● Apr. 23, 2021
“Was that ‘little thing’ yours?” the then unidentified correspondent had asked in Kinyarwanda, using an expression that connoted admiration.
From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2021
The man before them was noble in appearance, and the shadows played across the planes of his face in a way that made their angles harden; his aspect connoted dignity.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
The RF’s is a “buttress” roof form, connoting the “flying” buttresses of Gothic architecture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
She mentions “flat lawn” without irony — it is a Hollywood marker connoting accessibility not only geographic but on a shifting scale determined by zeitgeist, fame and the whims of luck.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2024
If you think you’ve got a better word connoting misery that begins with the letter “B,” contact your nearest headline writer immediately.
From Slate ● May 14, 2024
“This beautiful woman only exists within Soya-san,” one Twitter account said, attaching a genderless Japanese title connoting respect.
From Seattle Times ● May 16, 2021
There was a screen, connoting dying, around Johnny’s bed.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
