connotations
Emotional color beneath
Connotations are the associations and implications a word carries beyond its literal meaning.
The word "home" has warm connotations that "house" lacks.
While denotation is what a word directly refers to, connotations are the feelings, judgments, or cultural baggage it brings along.
Writers choose words partly for their connotations: "slender" and "skinny" denote the same thing but suggest different attitudes toward it.
Idea proposed for consideration
- insinuationIndirect, usually negative suggestion
- subtextImplicit meaning beneath words
- inferenceConclusion reached through reasoning
- entailmentLogical necessity from premises
presupposition · innuendo · inkling · undercurrent · overtone · undertone · hint · allusion
Calling forth to mind
- echoReflected sound wave
- resonanceAmplified oscillation at natural frequency
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
- imageryVivid descriptive language
baggage · context · cultural · loaded · charged · weighted · freighted · triggering
Fine distinction, easily missed
- shadeDarkness from blocked light
- tingeSlight degree present
- coloringAdding pigment to something
- flavorCharacteristic taste quality
inflection · gradation · distinction · refinement · delicacy · complexity · layering · texture
Felt attitude or view
- feelingSensed inner state
- affectProduce change upon
- moodPrevailing emotional condition
- atmosphereGaseous layer around planets
warmth · coldness · nostalgia · melancholy · tenderness · menace · foreboding · optimism
suggestion
Idea proposed for consideration
- insinuationIndirect, usually negative suggestion
- subtextImplicit meaning beneath words
- inferenceConclusion reached through reasoning
entailment · presupposition · innuendo · inkling · undercurrent · overtone · undertone · hint · allusion · intimation
evocation
Calling forth to mind
- echoReflected sound wave
- resonanceAmplified oscillation at natural frequency
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
imagery · baggage · context · cultural · loaded · charged · weighted · freighted · triggering · suggestive
subtlety
Fine distinction, easily missed
flavor · inflection · gradation · distinction · refinement · delicacy · complexity · layering · texture · depth
sentiment
Felt attitude or view
atmosphere · warmth · coldness · nostalgia · melancholy · tenderness · menace · foreboding · optimism · pessimism
- contextbackground, setting, circumstances, situation, environment
- Intangible feelingsfeelings, emotions, sensations, moods, sentiments
- signsstop sign, sign, signs, road sign, exit
connotationsdenotations
Literal meanings of terms
denotation · literal meaning · surface meaning · dictionary definition · dictionary definitions