Denotation and Connotation
The dictionary definition.
The additional meaning a
word may carry.
Is there more to a word
than how it is defined in
the dictionary?
Yes, there is more. In fact, every
word has at least two definitions:
connotative and denotative
So, what’s the difference?
The denotative definition is based
literal
on the________definition of a
word.
The connotative definition is
figurative or emotional
the________________________
meaning of a word.
Connotation
• The emotional
associations of a word or
phrase, as opposed to its
exact meaning.
• “Greasy” has a denotation
meaning slippery but also
has a connotation when
referring to a “greasy”
person.
•The connotative meanings of a word exist
together with the denotative meanings.
•The denotation of the word snake is “any
of numerous scaly, legless, and sometimes
venomous reptiles”
•The connotations for the word snake could
include evil or danger.
Connotation
•Positive •Negative
We bought inexpensive We bought cheap
souvenirs at the souvenirs at the
amusement park. amusement park.
I ate a moist sandwich. I ate a soggy sandwich.
I am a bargain shopper. I am a cheapskate.
Which One?
Positive or Negative
Connotation
Positive Connotation
• immature
• youthful
• Back to Game
Positive Connotation
• limit
• restrict
• Back to Game
Positive Connotation
• filthy
• dirty
• Back to Game
Negative Connotation
• stingy
• thrifty
• Back to Game
Negative Connotation
• cluttered
• messy
• Back to Game
Negative Connotation
• unusual
• weird
• Back to Game
Well Done!
For more examples:
• Check out:
• [Link]
ms/[Link]
• Scroll down and take the practice quiz!
Example
The word “gaze” has the following synonyms gape, stare, glare,
peer, gloat
Gaze: ________________________________________________
Gape: ________________________________________________
Stare: ________________________________________________
Glare: ________________________________________________
Peer: _________________________________________________
Gloat: ________________________________________________
Activity
For this assignment you will need a dictionary and a
thesaurus. Here are the steps to follow:
Look up two different words of your choice in the
thesaurus.
Under each, locate four synonyms that you like.
Write down the denotation of the five words in the group
(should be the same denotation for all five).
Give the connotation of each word in the group. (Each one
should differ slightly.)
WORDS: fat, obese, plump, large, stout
DENOTATION: being overweight or too heavy for your size.
CONNOTATION:
fat:
▪ a greasy, flesh way, lack of self control
obese:
▪ clinical word, grossly overweight
plump:
▪ pleasantly overweight, a bit round and cute.
large:
▪ heavy, but also have a bigger frame than average; more flattering
word than others
stout:
▪ bulky and strong, like a football lineman
Let’s use the word HOT
The denotation (or dictionary definition – remember d in denotation =
dictionary) of HOT is: having a temperature higher than that of
a human body.
However, when you say “Man! He/She is
hot!”, are you saying “Man! He is having
a temperature higher than that of a
human body!”? No!!
You are saying the CONNOTATION of HOT
– which could mean a variety of things –
man he/she is cute, attractive, beautiful,
and many other meanings – those come
from personal experiences and cultural
meanings, etc.
Advanced Info
• Connotation is extremely significant in poetry, mainly
because nuances of words provide shades of meaning.
• In poetry, words are chosen purposefully. Connotations
are never ignored, but utilized to their full advantage.
• Similarly, words are chosen or discarded because of their
sound (assonance and alliteration).
• In Robert Frost’s poem, “Mending Wall,” two
neighbors walk along a wall of loose stones that
separates their properties.
• As they walk they pick up and replace stones
that have fallen out of the wall but Frost thinks
it’s unnecessary to repair the wall since they
have no animals that could harm one another's
properties.
•His neighbors responds in the last line of the
• The wall in this poem has both a denotative
meaning and a connotative meaning.
•The wall is both a boundary (denotation) as well
as a barrier that prevents Frost from getting to
know his neighbor and prevents any
communication or involvement with one another
(connotation).
• In the poem, “Autumn,” by Christopher
Brennan, the poet describes many aspects of the
autumn season using denotation and
connotation.
•One line in the poem, “the silent woods brood
over an anxious deep, and in the faded sorrow of
the sun.”
•The word silent is used here to describe the
woods both literally as “making no sound or
noise” as well as emotionally since the word
silent helps us visualize the woods as “dull,
peaceful, and tranquil.”
• “The Sun Rising” is a famous poem by John
Donne which uses the sun to demonstrate the
relationship between denotation and
connotation.
“Busy old fool, unruly
Sun, Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and
through curtains, call on
us?”
• The denotation of the sun in this poem is “the
star that is the basis of the solar system,” which
is the dictionary meaning of the word.
• However, the sun also has a connotation
meaning in the poem.
•The sun is used to represent time, the beginning
and end of each day, and the figure that our lives
revolve around.
•The connotation of the sun is the significance
and meaning that the word has in the poem
besides its literal meaning.
Parts taken from powerpoint on
Denotation and Connotation
By Brian Lodato, Jim
Dunleavy, and Pat Amice