What are connotations examples?
Connotation is the use of a word to suggest a different association than its literal meaning, which is known as denotation. For example, blue is a color, but it is also a word used to describe a feeling of sadness, as in: “She's feeling blue.” Connotations can be either positive, negative, or neutral.
- Positive: childlike.
- Negative: childish.
- Positive: vintage.
- Negative: decrepit.
- Positive: confident.
- Negative: cocky.
For many people, care homes for the elderly have negative connotations. It obviously does carry some negative connotations, but people are increasingly prepared to buy there.
In The Merchant of Venice, also by William Shakespeare, he uses different religions to connote good and evil. Antonio: Hie thee, gentle Jew. Shylock: The Hebrew will turn Christian: he grows kind. Shakespeare is using different sects of religion to connote goodness or kindness.
A positive connotation is a connotation that has a “good” association. Take the word generous for example: the word generous implies that someone is selfless, charitable, and friendly; which are all things we regard as “good” qualities to have.
The dictionary definition of two or more words may be very similar, making the words synonyms; however, the connotation associated with the word can change the meaning. The words cheap, arrogant, nosy, stubborn, lazy, and pushy all have negative connotations.
- Stench, smell, aroma, scent, odor.
- Strong, tough, sturdy, hard.
- Proud, confident, arrogant, egotistical.
- Childish, childlike, young, youthful.
- Rich, loaded, privileged, wealthy, affluent.
- Broke, poor, impoverished.
- Frugal, economical, stingy, cheap.
- Tempting, attractive, interesting.
Connotation refers to the wide array of positive and negative associations that most words naturally carry with them, whereas denotation is the precise, literal definition of a word that might be found in a dictionary.
A connotation is a commonly understood cultural or emotional association that any given word or phrase carries, in addition to its explicit or literal meaning, which is its denotation. A connotation is frequently described as either positive or negative, with regard to its pleasing or displeasing emotional connection.
The word with the most meanings in English is the verb 'set', with 430 senses listed in the Second Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, published in 1989.
What is a connotation kid example?
Negative, Neutral, and Positive Connotation
For instance, the words child, brat, and kiddo all refer to a “young person,” but the connotation varies: The word child usually carries a neutral connotation. The word brat usually carries a negative connotation. The word kiddo usually carries a positive connotation.
Words such as hero, dove, flower, puppy, etc. create a positive image, whereas words such as villain, buzzard, decay, rat, etc. create a negative image.

The dog is the first domesticated animal, and is symbolically associated with loyalty and vigilance, often acting as guardian and protector.
Happy describes a feeling of joy, delight, or glee. It also describes something that is related to or shows joy. Happy can describe someone being willing to do something or be helpful. Happy is used in many expressions that wish good tidings to another person.
Positive Connotation | Neutral Connotation | Negative Connotation |
---|---|---|
courageous | confident | conceited |
unique | different | peculiar |
meticulous | selective | picky |
vintage | old | decrepit |
...
Neutral Connotations.
Positive | Neutral | Negative |
---|---|---|
Gentle | Timid | Cowardly |
Interested | Curious | Nosy |
Bold | Confident | Brash |
Inexpensive | Affordable | Cheap |
For example, the denotation of the word timid is “lacking in courage or self confidence.” The connotation of timid is generally a negative one, particularly if you compare it to the word reserved or the word apprehensive, which have a more positive connotation.
For example, the word home refers to the place where you live—it could be a house, an apartment, etc. This is the word's denotation. For many people, the word home has a positive connotation—it's associated with safety, comfort, and a sense of belonging.
The word home has a positive connotation. The word hovel is also a synonym for home, but it has a negative connotation. It connotes a lower level of quality. People prefer to live in a house, but not a hovel.
When we make a suggestion using a word, we say we are connoting. When a word implies something else or evokes an idea, the word connotes or is connoting something else. You can think of connotation as something that is implied, not something that is directly said.
What is the connotation of pig?
Thanks to the animal's mud-wallowing and eating habits, metaphorical uses of the word pig have negative connotations, commonly used to insult a person as dirty, fat, greedy, gluttonous, or objectionable in other ways (e.g., sexist pig). The word pig has also been used to disparage police officers and sex workers.
lacking in passion, emotion, enthusiasm, ardor, etc.; dispassionate: cold reason. not affectionate, cordial, or friendly; unresponsive: a cold reply; a cold reception. lacking sensual desire: She remained cold to his advances. failing to excite feeling or interest: the cold precision of his prose.
It identifies four kinds of connotation: (i) reference-focusing, (ii) parenthetical, (iii) secondary-referential, and (iv) pseudo-referential.
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Positive/Neutral Connotation | Negative Connotation |
---|---|
The football team beat their rivals. | The football team dominated their rivals. |
Her sweater looked cozy. | Her sweater looked corny. |
Those earrings look inexpensive. | Those earrings look cheap. |
Connotation is the feeling or idea that goes along with a word. Many words with similar denotations have different connotations. For example, think about the words frugal and miserly.
Water popularly represents life. It can be associated with birth, fertility, and refreshment. In a Christian context, water has many correlations. Christ walked on water, and transmuted it into WINE, thus these acts can be seen as a transcendence of the earthly condition.
Connotation is the feeling or idea that goes along with a word or phrase. Some words are close in meaning but have different connotations. For example, think about the words eager and impatient. They both mean wanting something to happen, but they have different connotations.
The following types of connotative meaning and their translation significance are investigated: (1) associative meaning, (2) attitudinal meaning, (3) affective meaning, (4) allusive meaning, (5) reflected meaning, (6) selectional restriction-related meaning, (7) collocative meaning, (8) geographical dialect-related ...