Walter: He doesn’t, uh… Get back to the story, please. Miles: Oh, well, you’re, you’re hilarious, My Friend.
#Negative connotation movie
In the Christmas comedy movie Elf, Buddy the Elf gets himself into a lot of trouble because of his lack of understanding of the word “elf “in everyday American society, as can be seen from the following scene:īuddy: I didn’t know you had elves working here! For him, “nice” has a positive connotation, thus he is taken aback when Clementine has such a dramatic reaction. Joel, however, is an awkward man, and tries to use the word in a simple but positive way-clearly he finds Clementine to be a bit strange and intense, but chooses to be “nice” by using the word “nice” to describe her. Here, the word “nice” has a negative connotation for Clementine-for her it means dull, ordinary, pleasant it has no truly significant meaning. Joel: I don’t know any jokes about your name. Joel: Sorry, I was… just trying to be nice.Ĭlementine: … I’m Clementine, by the way.Ĭlementine: No jokes about my name… Nooo, you wouldn’t do that. In the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Joel and Clementine’s conversation on the train takes several unanticipated turns because of the word “nice:”Ĭlementine: I apply my personality into paste.Ĭlementine: Well, you don’t know me so… you don’t know, do you? Examples of Connotation in Pop Culture Example 1 Conversely, choosing words with the wrong connotation can produce an undesired reaction or emotion and misrepresent one’s intentions. Connotations set the tone when writing and speaking, and clarify one’s intentions -they can elicit certain emotions or reactions or help to provide distinct impressions of things. In fact, the feelings or meanings associated with words can be everything. Thus it is one of the most critical things to consider when it comes to word choice, in both literature and everyday conversation. It is important to note that not all connotations are solely positive or solely negative-depending on how a word is used, it can connote different things. Most words have two meanings: a denotative (literal) meaning, and a connotative (implied) meaning. For example, when speaking about a pet, the word “dog” has a neutral connotation but, the word “mutt” has a negative connotation, and the word “purebred” has a positive connotation. NeutralĪ word whose connotation is neither positive nor negative. Though both “aroma” and “stench” mean smell, “stench” has a negative connotation thus, the meal sounds much less appealing. If we exchange the adjective “aroma” in the above sentence so that it now reads “the stench of my grandmother’s cooking,” the meaning changes completely. NegativeĪ word whose connotation implies negative emotions and associations. For example, “the aroma of my grandmother’s cooking” produces a positive association, because the word “aroma” implies that the smell is pleasing and inviting. PositiveĪ word whose connotation implies positive emotions and associations. Most of the examples above can be categorized as having either positive, negative, or neutral connotation, or sometimes both positive and negative, depending on how they are used. Now, apply these two terms to a table-a “strong table” and a “sturdy table” have essentially the same meaning.
![negative connotation negative connotation](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WTq2hfSDG6g/maxresdefault.jpg)
For example, imagine the difference between describing someone as a “strong woman” or a “sturdy woman”: because of these words’ connotations, the first implies that she is strong emotionally, while the second implies that she is a sturdy physically.
![negative connotation negative connotation](https://www.orbitmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/social-triggers.png)
Think of these words used in the similar conversations. Independent, unfriendly, private, standoffish.
![negative connotation negative connotation](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cO-XCrfIwQ4/UY-D7or72nI/AAAAAAAAAGg/Q7xEAX4jRDI/s1600/Unknown.jpg)
![negative connotation negative connotation](https://s3.studylib.net/store/data/008475562_1-36c8b162d222fc2576d53a086ba96062.png)
Rich, loaded, privileged, wealthy, affluent.Proud, confident, arrogant, egotistical.As mentioned, many words will share the same literal meaning, but may connote different feelings or ideas.
#Negative connotation series
Often, a series of words can have the same basic definitions, but completely different connotations-these are the emotions or meanings implied by a word, phrase, or thing.įor example, “This clothing is affordable!” versus “This clothing is cheap!” Here, “affordable” sounds much better than “cheap,” because the word cheap also implies low quality.Ĭonnotation is an additional meaning for a word or phrase thus, the examples are endless. A connotation is a feeling or idea that a word has, in addition to its literal or main meaning (the denotation).