What Is Denotation?

Posted on August 30, 2017

According to a denotation definition, it is an explicit and literal meaning of an expression or a word.

Here is an example of denotation to the word ‘heart’, ‘an organ responsible for pumping blood through the body’. In other words, this is a literal meaning of the word ‘heart’. Let us compare it to the connotative meanings of ‘heart’. The connotation will represent heart as a symbol of love and affection. That is to say this will be an association rather than literal meaning.

Denotation vs Connotation

The denotative meaning of a word is a literal meaning that explains what something is. This is the meaning we come across in dictionaries. Whenever we deviate from the literal meaning, creating some associations, we deal with connotative meanings. Have a look at examples of connotation and denotation:

• A rose – a type of flower that has a pleasant smell, and is usually of red, pink, yellow, or white color (denotation)

• A rose – suggests the connotative meaning of passion and love

• A dove – a type of a small white pigeon (denotation)

• A dove – represents the connotative meaning of peace

See? It is as simple as it sounds. For more denotation examples you can check our website, or ask our expert writers for help. We can help you with denotation definition in literature and assist you with any homework assignment.

Examples in literature

We can find denotation definition literature in many philosophical works. While poetry mostly relies on connotative meaning to create some associations to appeal to emotions, philosophical works define different principles.

Here is an example taken from Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics Book I:

‘Happiness, then, is something final and self-sufficient, and is the end of action.’

This is a denotative meaning of ‘happiness’ by Aristotle.

There are also tons of denotation examples in pop culture. All the how-to videos or infographics, cooking shows or ‘do it yourself’ (DIY) videos and blogs, are supposed to explain, define and give instructions. We follow the literal meaning of instructions used in these types of videos and shows. In other words, we rely on the denotative meaning.

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