CONNOTATION

• A feeling or an idea in addition to word’s literal or main meaning
• Meaning is a secondary word used to express an idea, qualities or feeling in association to its literal meaning
• Refers to a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly
• A non-literal framing of a term that intends to add an association beyond its literal meaning
• Implied meaning of a word or phrase
• A secondary meaning to the literal definition
• A further understanding of a word’s meaning
• Refers to the emotional implications and associations
• A word can carry an additional associated idea
• A word can have a positive, neutral, or a negative connotation
• It can also be either cultural or personal

• Negative Connotation
  A word or symbol has a non-literal association that we regard as bad.
• Positive Connotation
  A word or symbol has a non-literal association that we regard as good.
• Neutral Connotation
  A word or symbol has a non-literal association that we don’t regard as good or bad.

Challenge vs. Difficult

Positive: Yesterday’s session was a challenge.
Negative: Yesterday’s session was very difficult.

For something to be a challenge, it’s not necessarily bad, you may actually enjoy it. But, a difficult situation is usually unpleasant.

Energetic vs. Hyperactive

Positive: His son is more than a little energetic.
Negative: His son is more than a little hyperactive.

Most children are energetic; that can be a lot of fun to be around. But hyper-reaction insinuates just a little bit too much.

Economical vs. Cheap

Positive: Before he makes any purchases, John likes to do his research; he’s very economical.
Negative: Before he makes any purchases, John likes to do his research; he’s so cheap.

When we think of someone economical, we tend to consider them to be logical and wise. Meanwhile, cheap is a derogatory term for someone stingy.