Connotation (noun)
Pronunciation: [kah-nê-'tey-shên]
Definition: Not the exact meaning but the implications of a word. The antonym of today's word is "denotation," which means "the specific meaning of a word." For example, the denotation of "caviar" is simply "sturgeon eggs" but it connotes wealth and indulgence.
Usage: Shakespeare wrote that "[n]othing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so," and that's a good way to consider the meaning of today's word. For example, words like "hog" and "cow" are perfectly acceptable when talking about the livestock on the farm but their connotations discourage applying them to the farmer or his wife.
Suggested Usage: "Connotation" doesn't have to be reserved for discussion of the meaning of words; in fact, it begs wider usage. "I wouldn't talk about the Caribbean with Miodrag—after he went on that trip for singles last year, cruises have a humiliating connotation to him." The verb is "connote," and it should see more play, too: "Geoff didn't mean to connote anything negative in calling Otto a daft bugger; that's just Geoff's peculiar way of showing affection."
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