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

And weaved into the outfit's feminine cut and low-key tones are connotations of "stability, dependence, soft power", she says.

From BBC

Detty December, a popular term for Ghana and Nigeria's end-of-year party season, can have "negative connotations", Ghana's official for diaspora affairs has said, adding that he does not want the label linked with his country.

From BBC

Emojis can have an "infantile connotation" which could lead to people perceiving you as younger, less senior, capable or responsible, he says.

From BBC

In the term’s darkest connotation, it means “wicked child.”

From Los Angeles Times

She also questioned the negative connotations that can sometimes be associated with having one child.

From BBC

Related Words

• meaning
• overtone
• significance
• undertone