connotation

noun

Definition of connotationnext
as in implication
an idea or quality that is suggested by a word or thing a word with positive connotations The word "childlike" has connotations of innocence.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of connotation By the 2004 campaign, the vocabulary was everywhere, carrying connotations that nobody had assigned it on purpose. — Andrew Latham, The Conversation, 21 Sep. 2026 But there was no negative connotation behind [doing] the shoot together. — Kirbie Johnson, Allure, 17 Sep. 2026 But, of course, an airport carries fewer negative connotations than Tennessee’s eternally controversial state legislature. — Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026 These positive connotations associated with scientific research help the AI industry signal altruism while downplaying their profit-making ambitions. — Matthew Sun, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for connotation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for connotation
  1. implication
  2. sense
  3. meaning
  4. hint
  5. indication
  6. definition
  7. suggestion
  8. message
Noun
  • Only weeks later, alas, Hurts became another face of the cause — as the NBCA addressed with what essentially was a public-service bulletin about the implications of his situation.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The intellectual property implications are substantial for brands weighing design protection, trade dress and the limits of enforcement when consumers are actively amplifying lookalikes.
    — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of implication
Noun
  • Investors should also look at a fund's 30-day SEC yield to get a sense of what the company is generating in terms of income.
    — Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Government buildings were vandalized in multiple cities, contributing to a sense of national crisis that could boost leading far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen six months before elections.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of sense
Noun
  • Objects, especially ones as expensive and sought-after as that bag, can hold a lot of power and meaning.
    — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Darman regularly filled me in on the behind-the-scenes story, its color and meaning.
    — Bob Woodward, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of meaning
Noun
  • That question motivated Clark to better understand aging among plants and animals and to look for hints to extend humans' lifespan.
    — KYLE MELNICK THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Until this glorious fall Saturday afternoon gave way to the hints of early evening, Indiana football — once the losingest team in all of college football — hadn’t tasted their ordinary helping of defeat for 666 days.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of hint
Noun
  • The prevalence of money laundering schemes is an indication to Hall that more regulations are needed to address retail theft.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • But there are few indications that either side can achieve such an outcome.
    — Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of indication
Noun
  • Inaba called out a lift in the couple’s samba routine and even read the definition of a lift during her critique.
    — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The Federal Aviation Administration told CBS News and Politico that the vehicle doesn’t meet its definition of an aircraft, meaning the agency wouldn’t need to certify it as airworthy.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of definition
Noun
  • Still, the suggestion that the rise of lingerie details and sheer fabrics is in direct response to GLP-1s could be misguided.
    — Rachael Akhidenor, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Even their three adult children — Michael, Lola and Joaquin — had gotten involved in the discussion, offering suggestions of their own.
    — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of suggestion
Noun
  • Whether that message drives home a lack of affordability as gas, food and home prices surge or stokes fears about the rise of communism in the American heartland, Democrats and Republicans are spending a lot of time thinking about what to say.
    — Valerie M. Fridland, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Ohioans are getting bombarded with Republican ads on tax cuts, but the message is falling flat with many voters who feel the weight of higher prices.
    — Jarrell Dillard, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of message

Browse Nearby Words

connoisseurs
connotation
connotations
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Cite this Entry

“Connotation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/connotation. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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