Connotation
SAT glossary · Course Foundations
Definition
The associations a word carries beyond its literal meaning. Words-in-Context items often turn on connotation: two words with the same denotation differ in whether they fit the sentence's tone.
Connotation in plain English
Connotation is the emotional flavor or set of associations a word carries beyond its plain dictionary definition — two words can technically mean the exact same basic thing (same denotation) but FEEL completely different because of their connotation (like 'frugal' feeling positive/wise versus 'stingy' feeling negative/mean, even though both mean 'doesn't spend much money'). Words-in-Context questions often hinge entirely on connotation: even when two answer choices are technically synonyms, only one of them actually matches the TONE the sentence is going for.
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