connote

verb

con·​note kə-ˈnōt 

kä-

connoted; connoting

transitive verb

1

a

: to convey in addition to exact explicit meaning

all the misery that poverty connotes

For her, the word "family" connotes love and comfort.

b

: to imply as a logical connotation

2

: to be associated with or inseparable from as a consequence or concomitant

the remorse so often connoted by guilt

Examples of connote in a Sentence

The word “childlike” connotes innocence.

For her, the word “family” connotes love and comfort.

Recent Examples on the Web

Tattoos can connote in-group belonging or membership to a subculture. —Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 1 May 2025

Baseball season connotes spring bloom, summer sunburns and gorgeous green pastures. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025

But with Owsley acid, purity connotes something more than the molecular immaculacy of the compound. —John Semley, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2025

But, in reality, this is still just a statistical sampling of the possible answer space along different trajectories, which does not connote any real understanding. —Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin connotare, from Latin com- + notare to note

First Known Use

1665, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for connote

• afloat
• azote
• banknote
• bareboat
• benzoate
• cutthroat
• demote
• denote
• devote
• endnote
• footnote
• greatcoat

Kids Definition

connote

verb

con·​note kə-ˈnōt 

kä-

connoted; connoting

: to suggest in addition to the exact meaning