denotation

noun

de·​no·​ta·​tion ˌdē-nō-ˈtā-shən 

1

: an act or process of denoting

2

: meaning

especially : a direct specific meaning as distinct from an implied or associated idea

comparing a word's denotation with its connotations

In fact, the "Parks and Recreation" alum said he didn't know the word's medical denotation.

—Nardine Saad

3

a

: a denoting term : name

b

: sign, indication

visible denotations of divine wrath

… which is why many articles and essays have a "time it takes to read this" denotation alongside the title or author's name.

—Chris Campanioni

4

: the totality of things to which a term is applicable especially in logic compare connotation

Did you know?

What’s the difference between connotation and denotation ?

Connotation and denotation are easily confused, and the fact that neither word is particularly common in everyday use makes it difficult for many people to get a firm grip on the difference between them. While each of these two words has several possible meanings, they are notably distinct from each other in all senses. Denotation is concerned with explicit meaning, and connotation tends to be concerned with implicit meaning. The word home, for instance, has a denotation of “the place (such as a house or apartment) where a person lives,” but it may additionally have many connotations (such as “warmth,” “security,” or “childhood”) for some people.

Synonyms

• moniker
• nomenclature
• name
• title
• designation
• epithet
• appellation
• nickname

Examples of denotation in a Sentence

The word has one literal denotation but several different connotations.

The definition provides the word's denotation.

Recent Examples on the Web

How much control, at this point, the subcommittee can exert over emoji denotation and connotation isn’t clear. —Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 29 June 2025

But the New Zealand Department of Conservation lists the reptiles as at risk — relict, a denotation reserved for species that declined to a small population but have since stabilized. —Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 22 July 2024

Language, unlike code, has connotations and denotations that make organizing it for human consumption a much more complex task, says Dr. Harbin. —Leonardo Bevilacqua, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 June 2024

What does 4/20 mean? April 20, or 4/20 in its calendar denotation, is a holiday celebrated by many weed-smokers both in the United States and around the globe. —Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2023

Deaths are included if a person has a positive COVID-19 test and a death certificate denotation, a record of symptoms consistent with COVID-19 that progress from illness to death, or a determination by the medical examiner’s office that there is no other cause of death, Trimble said. —Dallas News, 5 Aug. 2020

Cleverly staging appearance as disappearance, connotation serves as denotation. —Jerrine Tan, Wired, 4 Aug. 2022

The word hacker itself seems to carry a whiff of punk rebellion, its implied sophistication contrasting with a denotation of smashing and severing. —Darryn King, The Atlantic, 14 Nov. 2020

Through this preaching, white dominance in political, judicial, and economic affairs became denotations of the will of the universe instead of means of racial control. —Jared Yates Sexton, The New Republic, 25 Mar. 2020

Word History

Etymology

see denote

First Known Use

circa 1532, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for denotation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

denotation

noun

de·​no·​ta·​tion ˌdē-nō-ˈtā-shən 

1

: an act or process of denoting

2

: meaning entry 1 sense 1a

especially : a direct specific meaning as distinct from connotations

3

: a term or label that indicates something : name, sign

denotative

ˈdē-nō-ˌtāt-iv

di-ˈnōt-ət-iv

adjective