Denotations vs. Connotations

[Name of the Institute]

Denotation and Connotation

Writers often make effective use of denotations and connotations in sentences to describe a subject. Denotation refers to the actual or literal meaning of words as found in the dictionary. For example, the dictionary associates the word snake with scaly, legless reptiles that generally have poisoned fangs and a long, tapering, cylindrical body. Therefore, ddenotations are the most direct or specific meaning of a word rather than its associated or figurative meanings or the feelings and impressions it evokes in the reader.

On the other hand, connotation refers to the specific feelings and impressions associated ...