subtext

[ suhb-tekst ]
/ ˈsʌbˌtɛkst /

noun

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

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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. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for subtextual

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