Literary notes about connotes (AI summary)
In literature, "connotes" is used to imply layers of meaning that lie beyond a word’s literal definition. It emphasizes that a term carries additional cultural, emotional, or symbolic overtones which enrich its usage. For instance, the description of red suggesting the beauty and vitality of a rose illustrates how a simple word can evoke intricate imagery ([1]), while a seemingly mundane name like “Doggie” is imbued with poetic nuance ([2]). Authors and critics often contrast what a word explicitly denotes with the more subtle implications it connotes, thus opening up interpretative possibilities and deepening the reader’s engagement ([3]). This dual function of language—not only to label but also to suggest and evoke—is a recurring theme in discussions about word usage, whether it is in the context of historical, philosophical, or aesthetic interpretations ([4], [5]).
- Thus the concrete red, always means, that is, connotes, something red, as a rose.
— from Analysis of the Phenomena of the Human Mind by James Mill - The Dean said indulgently: “So the name Doggie connotes something poetic and romantic?”
— from The Rough Road by William John Locke - In the technical language of logicians, the question is not what being denotes, but what it connotes.
— from Prolegomena to the Study of Hegel's Philosophy, and Especially of His Logic by William Wallace - I begin to realize the meaning of that word "England" and all that it connotes.
— from A Schoolmaster's Diary Being Extracts from the Journal of Patrick Traherne, M.A., Sometime Assistant Master at Radchester and Marlton. by Patrick Traherne - The significant charm of Francis Thompson’s Hound of Heaven lies in what it connotes rather than in what it tells.
— from Battles of Destiny by Isabel Shepperson
