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Linguistics & Grammar vocabulary · Semantics and Pragmatics

Connotation

Meaning in linguistics & grammar, with examples

/ˌkɒnəˈteɪʃn/nounCommon term

In linguistics & grammar, connotation means: The feelings, attitudes or associations a word carries beyond its basic meaning, such as the positive feel of 'slim' compared with 'skinny'.

In Turkish: yan anlam, çağrışım

How it is used

Contrasted with denotation, the literal meaning. Connotations can be positive, negative or neutral and often depend on culture, so translators and writers pay close attention to them.

Example sentences

  1. 'Cheap' has a negative connotation of low quality, so shops prefer 'affordable'.

  2. 'Stubborn' and 'determined' can describe the same behaviour, but their connotations are very different.

Common collocations

  • negative connotation
  • positive connotation
  • cultural connotation
  • connotation and denotation
  • semanticsThe study of meaning in language: what words, phrases and sentences mean, and how their meanings relate to each other and to the world.
  • synonymA word or phrase that means the same or nearly the same as another one in at least some contexts, such as big and large, or start and begin.
  • registerA variety of language used for a particular situation or purpose, from formal to informal, such as academic writing, legal language or chatting with friends.
  • polysemyThe situation in which one word has several related meanings, such as 'head' meaning a part of the body, the leader of a group or the top of a page.

More terms: Semantics and Pragmatics

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