connotation

connotation — noun

1. the extra associations, emotions, or implied meanings that a word carries on top

1.nounB2
Definition

the extra associations, emotions, or implied meanings that a word carries on top of its basic meaning, or what an object, colour, or situation indirectly suggests

Example

The word 'home' has warm connotations of family and comfort for most people.

collocation: warm connotations

In many cultures, the colour white has connotations of purity and new beginnings.

pattern: connotation + of + noun phrase

Common collocations
  • positive connotations
  • negative connotations
  • cultural connotations
  • connotations of power
  • carry connotations
  • take on connotations
Synonyms
  • overtone

    suggests a more subtle or secondary quality, common in artistic or emotional contexts ('political overtones')

  • association

    broader term for any mental link, not limited to language; can be personal rather than shared

  • implication

    more logical and direct than connotation; something a speaker intentionally suggests

  • undertone

    implies a hidden quality beneath the surface, often of emotion or attitude

Antonyms
  • denotation

    the literal, dictionary meaning of a word — the opposite of the extra suggested meaning

Grammar Patterns

connotation + of + noun phrase

have/carry + adjective + connotations

take on connotations

Usage Note

Connotation is often paired with modifiers such as 'positive', 'negative', 'cultural', or 'emotional' to specify the kind of association. The word 'denotation' refers to the literal dictionary meaning — 'connotation' covers only the extra suggested layer of meaning.

Common Mistakes

The connotation of this word is small.
This word has negative connotations.
Connotation is not an evaluation itself; it refers to the associations a word carries. Use 'has … connotations' or 'carries connotations of …'.

Word family

  • connote
    verbC2
  • connotative
    adjectiveC2
  • denotation
    nounC1
  • denote
    verbB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Connotation, overtone, undertone, implication, and association all refer to meanings that go beyond the literal. Connotation is the broadest and most common term, used for any feeling or idea a word or thing suggests culturally or personally — for example, 'snake' has negative connotations in many societies. Overtone suggests a more secondary or subtle quality, often in artistic or emotional contexts ('the speech had political overtones'). Undertone implies something hidden beneath the surface, usually less obvious ('her voice carried an undertone of doubt'). Implication is more logical and intentional — something the speaker indirectly but deliberately suggests. Association is the widest category, covering any mental link, whether shared or personal. In everyday writing, use 'connotation' for word choice and cultural symbolism, 'implication' for logical inference, and 'association' for personal mental links.

connotation ↗overtoneundertoneimplication ↗association ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • have connotations of
  • carry connotations of
  • take on connotations
  • avoid connotations

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Connotation comes from the Latin 'connotare', meaning 'to mark along with' (con- 'together with' + notare 'to mark'). It entered English in the 1600s as a term in logic and linguistics. The modern sense — an emotional or cultural association attached to a word — developed in the 1800s, shaped by literary and rhetorical study.