Connotation

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Full definition of connotation

Noun

1. A meaning of a word or phrase that is suggested or implied, as opposed to a denotation, or literal meaning. A characteristic of words or phrases, or of the contexts that words and phrases are used in.The connotations of the phrase "you are a dog" are that you are physically unattractive or morally reprehensible, not that you are a canine.
2. A technical term in logic used by J. S. Mill and later logicians to refer to the attribute or aggregate of attributes connoted by a term, and contrasted with denotation.The two expressions "the morning star" and "the evening star" have different connotations but the same denotation (i.e. the planet Venus).

Antonyms

• denotation

Synonyms

• intension

Related terms

• connotative
• connotatively