connotation

[kon-uh-tey-shuhn]

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.

connotation

/ 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

connotation

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.”

Other Word Forms

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

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

Example Sentences

Mothers aren’t expected to be human, nor are they expected to be superhuman, though one can see why mommy bloggers like to use that term for its more positive connotation.

Read more on Salon

"I started having a negative connotation doing anything towards him."

Read more on BBC

Locals referred to them as Johnnies, a nickname that carries unsavoury connotations.

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"I know it has bad connotations on the men's side with greed and all those things, but in women's football it's a necessity until we have decent commercial resources available."

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The term carries an intensely pejorative connotation in the group and speaks to the imbalance of power between the singer and his fawning entourage.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• meaning 
• overtone 
• significance 
• undertone