subtext

[ suhb-tekst ]

/ ˈsʌbˌtɛkst /

noun

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

Words nearby subtext

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

Origin of subtext

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

OTHER WORDS FROM subtext

sub·tex·tu·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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