subtext

noun

sub·​text ˈsəb-ˌtekst 

: the implicit or metaphorical meaning (as of a literary text)

subtextual

ˌsəb-ˈteks-chə-wəl 

-chəl

adjective

subtextually adverb

Did you know?

A literary text often has more than one meaning: the literal meaning of the words on the page, and their hidden meaning, what exists "between the lines"—the subtext. Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, for example, is about the Salem witchcraft trials of the 17th century, but its subtext is the comparison of those trials with the "witch hunts" of the 1950s, when many people were unfairly accused of being communists. Even a social conversation between a man and a woman may have a subtext, but you may have to listen very closely to figure out what it is. Don't confuse subtext with subplot, a less important plot that moves along in parallel with the main plot.

Examples of subtext in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Advertisement But Larraín made music — specifically opera — both the text and subtext of his third caged-bird portrait. —Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024

But this deliciously mischievous and profound comedy also layers subtext upon subtext upon subtext and treats the whole subject of gender norms playfully. —Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 4 Dec. 2024

One other subtext of the debate over California job growth needs to be mentioned. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2024

The play’s supernatural subtext was always a cheap theatrical gimmick, unconvincing and unworthy of Wilson’s seriousness about black Americans escaping imposed Christianity and developing their own skepticism. —Armond White, National Review, 27 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined above