subtext

noun

sub·​text ˈsəb-ˌtekst How to pronounce subtext (audio)
: the implicit or metaphorical meaning (as of a literary text)
subtextual adjective
subtextually adverb

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A literary text often has more than one meaning: the literal meaning of the words on the page, and their hidden meaning, what exists "between the lines"—the subtext. Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, for example, is about the Salem witchcraft trials of the 17th century, but its subtext is the comparison of those trials with the "witch hunts" of the 1950s, when many people were unfairly accused of being communists. Even a social conversation between a man and a woman may have a subtext, but you may have to listen very closely to figure out what it is. Don't confuse subtext with subplot, a less important plot that moves along in parallel with the main plot.

Examples of subtext in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Layer in real-life subtext and the intensity swells. Gráinne O'Hara Belluomo, WWD, 1 Dec. 2024 By lunchtime, the subtext of their conversation erupts violently into the surface. Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 11 Nov. 2024 People feel songs on different levels, and sometimes there’s some subtext going on in these songs. Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Sep. 2024 The film’s ecological subtext seems negligible; Charles’s fear of thermonuclear war is now a joke, after the worldwide embrace of self-destruction during the Covid apocalypse. Armond White, National Review, 25 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for subtext 

Word History

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of subtext was in 1862

Dictionary Entries Near subtext

Cite this Entry

“Subtext.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subtext. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

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