Understanding Words

When we read something, we first understand it at its most basic, literal level. This is called denotation. You can think of the denotation of a word as its dictionary definition. For instance, when you read the word "cow", you think of a four-legged herbivorous mammal.

However, every word carries a connotation as well as a denotation. A connotation is the non-literal meaning we associate with words. To continue our example, "cow" might connotate farm life, the countryside, or a glass of fresh milk.

Examples

Here are a few more examples of connotations and their possible denotations.

Word(s)

Denotation

Connotation

Rose

a flower

Love, affection, romance, sensuality, beauty, the color red

New York City

a major U.S. city

Crowded, center of art and culture, nightlife, traffic, Statue of Liberty

Green

a color

Vegetation, fertility, growth, envy, money, life, springtime, prosperity

As you can see, words have many connotations. Every person will find different connotations for a word, as connotation depends on a person's background, cultural setting, emotions, and subjective opinions.

For instance, while the color green often represents prosperity in Western cultures, Eastern cultures associate the color red with wealth and good fortune. However, there are often a number of connotations that are widely accepted as connected to a word. People from all over the world, for example, associate snow with winter and heat waves with summer.

This video provides an explanation and examples of denotation and connotation:



Why Focus on Connotation?

Since connotations are cultural associations, some people may have conflicting opinions about the correct connotation of the word.

  • Connotation is used to describe whether a word has negative, positive or neutral associations: Thin vs. Skinny vs. Scrawny.
  • Connotation is also used to describe a word that has a completely unrelated symbolic meaning: Dark times = Bad times.
  1. Connotation 1 (emotional charge): Every word has a negative, positive, or neutral connotation or association.

In this case, understanding connotation enhances understanding of the implied meaning, tone, and purpose beyond a word's literal or denotative definition.

Positive Connotation

Negative Connotation 

Neutral Connotation

youth

juvenile

adolescent

request/remind

whine/nag

ask

assertive

bossy

dominant

senior

old

elderly

  1. Connotation 2 (symbolic meaning): Some words have a secondary, figurative, or symbolic association or connotation.

In this case, the word takes on a completely new meaning completely unrelated to the literal meaning of the word:

  • Snake: An evil, devious, or immoral person.
  • Chicken: A coward.
  • Pig: A vulgar person or slob.
  • Sweet: Cool, awesome, or fun.
  • Stepping stone: Used to mean small advancements or achievements en route to achieving a goal.

Therefore, understanding connotation enhances understanding of an author's implied meaning, tone, and purpose beyond a word's literal definition.



Focusing on Both Denotations and Connotations

Consider that the words "laid-back" and "lackadaisical" both mean "unhurried and slow-moving". If someone said you were a "laid-back" student, you would likely be just fine with that comment, but if someone said you were a "lackadaisical" student, you might not like the connotation.

For example, look at these three words:

  • excited   
  • agitated   
  • flustered

The three words all mean to be stirred emotionally. In fact, you might see one of the words as a definition of another one of them when using a dictionary. And you would definitely see the three words in a common list in a thesaurus. So, the denotations for the three words are about the same.

But the connotations are quite different. The word "excited" often has a positive, fun underlying meaning; "agitated" carries a sense of being upset; and "flustered" suggests a person is somewhat out of control. When you are choosing a word to use, you should first think of a word based on its denotation. Then, you should consider if the connotation fits your intent.

Now that we remember the importance of context when understanding and using vocabulary, let's take a closer look at strategies for choosing the right words.

Content adapted from:

Heather Ringo and Athena Kashyap, https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Literature_and_Literacy/Writing_and_Critical_Thinking_Through_Literature_(Ringo_and_Kashyap)
/04%3A_About_Fiction-_Short_Stories_and_the_Novel/4.10%3A_Word_Choice_Tone_Voice_and_Style#Connotation_Versus_Denotation
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License.

Student Success Center OCtech, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRt06AvUm0A
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Lauren Martin, https://quillbot.com/courses/introduction-to-college-reading-and-writing/chapter/connotation-vs-denotation/
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/writers-handbook/s21-03-choosing-precise-wording.html
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License.