1
as in moniker
a word or combination of words by which a person or thing is regularly known
"soul" is the common denotation for that mysterious force within the human body that gives it life and yet is separate from it
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2
as in meaning
the idea that is conveyed or intended to be conveyed to the mind by language, symbol, or action
although most people exercise for fitness, the denotation of the term "fitness" varies from exerciser to exerciser
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Recent Examples of denotation
How much control, at this point, the subcommittee can exert over emoji denotation and connotation isn’t clear.
—
Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 29 June 2025
But the New Zealand Department of Conservation lists the reptiles as at risk — relict, a denotation reserved for species that declined to a small population but have since stabilized.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 22 July 2024
Language, unlike code, has connotations and denotations that make organizing it for human consumption a much more complex task, says Dr. Harbin.
—Leonardo Bevilacqua, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 June 2024
What does 4/20 mean? April 20, or 4/20 in its calendar denotation, is a holiday celebrated by many weed-smokers both in the United States and around the globe.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2023
Cleverly staging appearance as disappearance, connotation serves as denotation.
—Jerrine Tan, Wired, 4 Aug. 2022
Deaths are included if a person has a positive COVID-19 test and a death certificate denotation, a record of symptoms consistent with COVID-19 that progress from illness to death, or a determination by the medical examiner’s office that there is no other cause of death, Trimble said.
—Dallas News, 5 Aug. 2020
Through this preaching, white dominance in political, judicial, and economic affairs became denotations of the will of the universe instead of means of racial control.
—Jared Yates Sexton, The New Republic, 25 Mar. 2020
Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 29 June 2025
But the New Zealand Department of Conservation lists the reptiles as at risk — relict, a denotation reserved for species that declined to a small population but have since stabilized.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 22 July 2024
Language, unlike code, has connotations and denotations that make organizing it for human consumption a much more complex task, says Dr. Harbin.
—Leonardo Bevilacqua, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 June 2024
What does 4/20 mean? April 20, or 4/20 in its calendar denotation, is a holiday celebrated by many weed-smokers both in the United States and around the globe.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2023
Cleverly staging appearance as disappearance, connotation serves as denotation.
—Jerrine Tan, Wired, 4 Aug. 2022
Deaths are included if a person has a positive COVID-19 test and a death certificate denotation, a record of symptoms consistent with COVID-19 that progress from illness to death, or a determination by the medical examiner’s office that there is no other cause of death, Trimble said.
—Dallas News, 5 Aug. 2020
Through this preaching, white dominance in political, judicial, and economic affairs became denotations of the will of the universe instead of means of racial control.
—Jared Yates Sexton, The New Republic, 25 Mar. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for denotation
Noun
-
Carr has lived up to the warrior moniker.—
Kevin Collier,
NBC news,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Two lounges have been renamed, one after legendary player and manager Mo Marley and the other in honour of the team’s original moniker, Leasowe Pacific, the latter the setting of a bottomless brunch hospitality option.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
What could have been a transformative meditation on mourning too often slips into surface-level spectacle, leaving the audience to piece together meaning from a scattershot collage of influences.—
David Hochman,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
That's because nudity can take on drastically different meanings.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Regardless of the nomenclature, the whiskey has already earned Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, an accolade that underscores Bardstown’s ability to merge American whiskey character with French refinement.—
Andy Vasoyan,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Some nomenclature gets a little more flowery.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Your base is the foundation of any makeup look, but in the year 2025, that doesn’t have to include actual foundation—at least not in the traditional sense.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Instead of clarity and a sense of financial empowerment, individuals experience costly missteps and are left unsure of where to find reliable guidance—eroding any trust in the mainstream financial system.—
Sandy Anderson,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The nearly 25-year-old business organization declined to share the name of the affected company, but said that other members still didn’t have clarity on a consistent process for accessing the minerals.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
-
In the film, Bajpayee plays the police officer while Jim Sarbh essays the role of the killer who goes by the fictional name Carl Bhojraj.—
Sweta Kaushal,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Though the Dublin area’s luxury market has typically peaked around $4 million, Knollwood’s scale, provenance, and cultural significance set it apart.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
16 Sep. 2025
-
This venue holds particular significance, is where Serena captured six of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles there, while Venus won two of her seven major championships on those same courts.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Customers may purchase or rent a selection of media titles from Prime Video without having an Amazon Prime or Prime Video account.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
-
And Women's 100-Meter Hurdles Remain Unpredictable Coming off another world indoor title, Olympic champion, and second fastest man of all-time, Grant Holloway is in position to become the first man to win four world outdoor championship titles in a row.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This represents the next generation of AI beyond current chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude, which simply answer questions or generate content.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.—
Jeff Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Denotation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/denotation. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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