1. Connotation / Denotation

2. Denotation The dictionary definition of a word.
The word’s literal, intended definition.
Example:
Home: a place where someone lives
Residence: a place where someone lives
Dwelling: a building in which a person lives
House: a building in which a person lives

3. Denotation Gay: an adjective synonymous with happy
“b” word: a female dog
Ignorant: being uneducated or lacking knowledge about a subject
Female: a person who as two XX chromosomes and has a vagina and uterus.

4. Connotation The feelings or emotions associated with a word.
Often has a greater influence on meaning than the denotation
Develops over time through cultural changes
Difficult for language learners to recognize and can cause problems

5. Connotation Example: Positive connotation:
Home: a loving place where a family comes together and lives
Neutral connotation:
Residence: a place where someone lives
Dwelling: a building in which a person lives
House: a building in which a person lives

6. Negative Connotation Gay: stupid, effeminate
“b” word: an unpleasant woman or a man lacking masculine characteristics.
Ignorant: stupid
Female: In some situations, (“Those feee-males bothering me.”) it actually carries the same negative connotations as the “b” word.

7. Positive or Negative?
difficult challenging stingy economical headstrong determined nitpicking meticulous childish Childlike Dinky Tiny Small Fun-size

8. Bottom Line
Be aware that words can be offensive to people even when they are not intended to be.
When choosing words in writing, you need to be aware of connotations so you do not send an unintended message.