Added 8 October 2026
connotation
/ˌkɒnəˈteɪʃən/ noun
Latin root: connotātiō Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about connotation at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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A meaning of a word or phrase that is (subjectively) suggested or implied (implicit), as contrasted with a denotation, which is the explicit and objective meaning. A characteristic of words or phrases, or of the contexts that words and phrases are used in.
The word "advisedly" has a connotation of "wisely", although it denotes merely "intentionally" and "deliberately."
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The attribute or aggregate of attributes connoted by a term, as contrasted with a denotation.
The two expressions "the morning star" and "the evening star" have different connotations but the same denotation (i.e. the planet Venus).
Origin
Borrowed from Medieval Latin connotātiō, from connotō (“to mark in addition”), from Latin con- (“together, with”) + notō (“to note”); equivalent to connote + -ation.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)