What’s the difference between connotation and denotation ?
Connotation and denotation are easily confused, and the fact that neither word is particularly common in everyday use makes it difficult for many people to get a firm grip on the difference between them. While each of these two words has several possible meanings, they are notably distinct from each other in all senses. Denotation is concerned with explicit meaning, and connotation tends to be concerned with implicit meaning. The word home, for instance, has a denotation of “the place (such as a house or apartment) where a person lives,” but it may additionally have many connotations (such as “warmth,” “security,” or “childhood”) for some people.
Example Sentences
Miuccia Prada, a connoisseur of vintage jewelry, has a collection of tiaras and subverts their formal connotations by wearing them for the day. Hamish Bowles, Vogue, March 1997Suddenly, Hsun-ching brightened. "So this is propaganda?" Alison did not know that, in Chinese, the word for propaganda literally means to spread information, and does not carry any negative connotations. Mark Salzman, The Laughing Sutra, 1991The word "evolution," with its connotation of unrolling, of progressive development, was not favored by Darwin; he preferred the bleak phrase "descent with modification" for his theory. John Updike, New Yorker, 30 Dec. 1985 a word with negative connotations For many people, the word “fat” has negative connotations. The word “childlike” has connotations of innocence. See More
Recent Examples on the WebThe Massachusett word, however, was similar in pronunciation to the second half of the Mohawk word for female genitals — ojiskwa — which is where scholars believe the negative connotation of the word derived from.San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Sep. 2022 The typical granite connotation is out, but people don't realize that granite is becoming modernized, and getting better at looking good. Kaitlin Kemp, House Beautiful, 14 Sep. 2022 Beatrice de Jong, broker and consumer trends expert at Opendoor, a home buying service, points out that while modular and manufactured homes sometimes have a negative connotation, they are often built to last as long as stick-build homes. Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Aug. 2022 Meanwhile, others, including some of Lizzo’s music industry colleagues, weren’t as laudatory, arguing that the lyric term doesn’t have a negative connotation and can sometimes be used in a positive way. Nardine Saadstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2022 Meghan said before Mariah clarified her connotation. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 30 Aug. 2022 Chaos has an unfairly negative connotation, especially in business. Sergio Alvarez, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2022 And a string of recent home sales and listings is throttling this island’s wealth connotation to new heights. Cameron Sperance, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2022 Cleverly staging appearance as disappearance, connotation serves as denotation. Jerrine Tan, Wired, 4 Aug. 2022 See More