Positive and Negative Connotations of Adjectives

Just recently, we had a lesson in class that I found quite crucial in writing. Firstly, to understand what are the positive and negative connotations of adjectives, we must know what is a connotation. Now to understand what is a connotation, we also need to know what is a denotation. A denotation is the defined meaning of a word, which simply put, its actual or dictionary meaning. The connotation of a word is its emotional reaction, or the meaning beyond the basic definition, which can change depending on the context. Why this is important is because if we use a word with the incorrect connotation, we might give the reader the wrong idea. For example:

The thrifty old man saves when he can.

The stingy old man saves when he can.

So basically words that leave a good emotional impression have a positive connotation while words that leave a bad emotional impression have a negative connotation but not all words have a separate connotative meaning.

Here are some examples

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Noun: Laughter
Positive Connotation: Spontatneous
Negative Connotation: Childish

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Noun: Music
Positive Connotation: Diversified
Negative Connotation: Noisy

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Noun: Flavour
Positive Connotation: Savoury
Negative Connotation: Bland

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As you can see the connotation does affect the impact and impression it gives the reader. Thats all for today. Thank you for your kind attention=)