subtext

[ suhb-tekst ]

/ ˈsʌbˌtɛkst /

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noun

the underlying or implicit meaning, as of a literary work.

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QUIZ YOURSELF ON OPPOSITES OF RED BEFORE YOU TURN SCARLET

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Which of the following colors is used to symbolize AIR?

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green

red

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Origin of subtext

1945–50; translation of Russian podtékst;see sub-, text

OTHER WORDS FROM subtext

sub·tex·tu·al, adjective

Words nearby subtext

subterminal, subternatural, subterrane, subterranean, subterrestrial, subtext, subthalamic nucleus, subthalamus, subtherapeutic, subthreshold, subthreshold stimulus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use subtext in a sentence

Barker’s original novella, The Forbidden, first published in his self-published zine Fantasy Tales in 1985, contributed the basic plot that became Rose’s 1992 film, but none of the backstory or underlying subtext.
How an unsolved murder and a public housing crisis led to Candyman|Aja Romano|August 27, 2021|Vox
In the 1960s, outdated state laws banning “cross-dressing” — and various other activities associated with homosexuality — were used as a subtext by the police to raid businesses and bars where LGBTQ people were known to hang out.
Pride merch won’t save trans youth|Katelyn Burns|June 25, 2021|Vox
Because DARPA funded research comes from the Department of Defense, there is an unsubtle subtext about the robots it trains to find humans.
This drone can detect human screams. What could go wrong?|Rob Verger|June 23, 2021|Popular-Science
Her style is easy to digest but will force you to contemplate its potent subtext.
Eight thrillers and mysteries to read this summer|S.A. Cosby|May 27, 2021|Washington Post

The unavoidable subtext is that legislators want to use the specter of criminality to make legal things more difficult or riskier to do — things with which they take political issue.
It’s not just voting: Legislators have introduced 100 state bills targeting protesting|Philip Bump|May 13, 2021|Washington Post
The subtext of the clown is that life is a joke and can be snatched away at any moment.
Nightmares in Face Paint: Why We’ll Always Be Afraid of Clowns|Oliver Jones|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These witnesses should be of the same gender as the employee, to avoid any suggestion of a “sexual subtext”.
How To Fire Your Maid, By A Russian Oligarch|Tom Sykes|October 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the subtext to that remark, just in case you missed it, is: and neither should he!
How the Queen ‘Purred’ With Pleasure at Scottish Referendum Result|Tom Sykes|September 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is, in a way, a lighthearted routine with a dark subtext: many of those gathered are accustomed to failure at auditions.
The Most Depressing Show on Earth: Amongst the Clowns of Newark|Lizzie Crocker|March 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And so on and so forth, with the ominous subtext fairly shrieking over the pleasant and heartwarming text.
Jay and Jimmy Together|Lloyd Grove|January 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These have been converted into two equations on two lines, with the arrow subtext moved into the equations.
Alcoholic Fermentation|Arthur Harden

British Dictionary definitions for subtext

subtext

/ (ˈsʌbˌtɛkst) /

noun

an underlying theme in a piece of writing

a message which is not stated directly but can be inferred

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

subtext

Origin of subtext

OTHER WORDS FROM subtext

Words nearby subtext

Words related to subtext

How to use subtext in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for subtext