Here is a list of connotative words that you can add to your writing.
Connotation is a vital part of communication. A writer uses connotative words to help the readers understand the overall message they are trying to convey. See our examples of the different types of connotative words in this article.
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What Are Connotative Words?
There are two ways to define a word. First is a word’s denotative or literal meaning. The other is the term’s connotative sense referring to the feelings, emotions, and ideas associated with the word. Connotative words are not related to the actual meaning of a word but add another layer of significance derived from emotions, personal interpretation, and ideas.
| Adolescent | Generous | Scrawny |
| Affordable | Gentle | Secure |
| Antique | Happy | Selective |
| Astute | Hyperactive | Sentimental |
| Bold | Immature | Serious |
| Calculative | Impulsive | Sharp-tongue |
| Chatty | In-shape | Skinny |
| Cheap | Inexpensive | Slim |
| Childish | Innocent | Smug |
| Childlike | Interested | Sober |
| Conceited | Interesting | Soft |
| Confident | Inquisitive | Steadfast |
| Conversational | Jabbering | Stringy |
| Courageous | Lackadaisical | Strong-willed |
| Cowardly | Manic | Stubborn |
| Crammed | Meticulous | Tenacious |
| Decrepit | Nosy | Thin |
| Different | Obsessive | Thrifty |
| Diligent | Old | Timid |
| Easygoing | Peculiar | Unique |
| Egotistical | Picky | Use |
| Elated | Prying | Vintage |
| Employ | Questioning | Witty |
| Exploit | Relaxed | Well-dressed |
| Filled | Sated | Workaholic |
| Frugal | Saving | Young |
Positive Connotative Words
Positive connotative words evoke a favorable emotional response from the reader or listener. A positive connotation indicates a good association of the word in the context when used.
- Antique
My grandfather owns many beautiful antique pieces of furniture.
- Bold
He’s bold enough to argue with the boss because he knows he’s in the right.
- Chatty
Layla will become chatty once she gets comfortable with you.
- Childlike
His childlike innocence makes him easy to get along with.
- Courageous
His father was a courageous warrior.
- Easygoing
The company’s new CEO is an easygoing guy.
- Elated
The king was elated at the birth of his first-born son, his successor.
- Employ
How many people do we need to employ to increase production?
- In-shape
Doing calisthenics exercises keeps you in-shape.
- Inexpensive
My mother prefers buying inexpensive items to save money.
- Innocent
He’s innocent until the courts find him guilty.
- Interesting
The new teacher is looking for a way to make her daily lessons more interesting.
- Inquisitive
Inquisitive kids usually become top students.
- Meticulous
The event organizer is meticulous in planning and preparing the event.
- Sated
Eating his mother’s cooking makes him sated.
- Slim
The government and health professionals are working hard to slim down the number of people infected with the virus.
- Steadfast
Even though the opponent of the other team is strong, our basketball team remains steadfast.
- Thrifty
My mom is a very thrifty woman who doesn’t like wasting anything.
- Unique
Aika wants to have a unique theme for her upcoming birthday party.
- Vintage
She loves to wear vintage clothes that are hard to find.
Neutral Connotative Words
Neutral connotative words come with additional meaning but don’t have a positive or negative association. They are usually the closest to the word’s actual meaning. Here are the neutral connotations of the positive connotative words above.
- Adolescent
Positive: Innocent
Father said the best part of everyone’s life is being an adolescent.
- Affordable
Positive: Inexpensive
My friend needs to move out of her apartment soon, but there is no affordable place to rent near her work.
- Confident
Positive: Courageous
The president is confident that he can strengthen the country’s economy.
- Conversational
Positive: Chatty
Ellen uses a conversational style in writing her essays, so they are easy to read.
- Different
Positive: Unique
Ian is looking for a different hairstyle this year, something he has never done before.
- Filled
Positive: Sated
The waiter filled our glasses with Domaine Leroy Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru, one of the best wines in the world.
- Happy
Positive: Elated
Our class was very happy when our professor announced that we’d go on a school field trip next month.
- Interested
Positive: Inquisitive
I’m interested in your marketing plan, but how confident are you that it will boost our sales this year?
- Old
Positive: Vintage
My boyfriend loves to collect old things with sentimental value.
- Questioning
Positive: Interested
The students’ constant questioning makes the teacher feel appreciated.
- Relaxed
Positive: Easygoing
It was a lovely dinner with a relaxed atmosphere.
- Saving
Positive: Thrifty
My sister is saving her gold and silver jewelry to bequeath to her daughter when she is of legal age.
- Secure
Positive: Confident
We need to secure the deal to get this year’s bonus.
- Selective
Positive: Meticulous
Our boss is very selective about the people he meets and partners with.
- Tenacious
Positive: Steadfast
Clyde is the most tenacious candidate for the Student Council President position.
- Thin
Positive: Slim
Having a thin body doesn’t mean you’re healthy.
- Timid
Positive: Gentle
Because of his timid voice, we can’t hear and understand what he is saying.
- Use
Positive: Employ
You need to know how to use an electronic device these days to get a job quickly.
- Well-dressed
Positive: Stylish
Jay is a fashionista, invariably well-dressed wherever he goes.
- Young
Positive: Childlike
Go and travel while you’re still young.
Negative Connotative Words
These words evoke bad or negative emotions when used in a sentence. People include negative connotative words to describe someone or something in an unpleasant way. Check the terms below with equivalent neutral connotations and how to use them in a sentence.
- Cheap
Neutral: Affordable
Most contractors avoid cheap construction materials because of their inferior quality.
- Childish
Neutral: Young
Tyrone’s childish behavior deters people from befriending him.
- Conceited
Neutral: Confident
Most of her coworkers avoid her because of her conceited nature.
- Crammed
Neutral: Filled
The house was crammed with trash; it was unlivable.
- Decrepit
Neutral: Old
The story is about a decrepit older man who lives alone in the woods far from the city.
- Egotistical
Neutral: Secure
The people are plotting to overthrow their insufferable, egotistical, selfish king.
- Exploit
Neutral: Use
Big corporations exploit their workers with below minimum pay and terrible working conditions.
- Immature
Neutral: Adolescent
Despite being 30 years old, he’s still immature and condescending.
- Jabbering
Neutral: Conversational
I hate when the train is full of people jabbering on their mobile phones.
- Lackadaisical
Neutral: Relaxed
His lackadaisical attitude towards finding a job makes me want to kick him out of the house.
- Manic
Neutral: Happy
She suffered another manic episode about her dead baby coming back to life.
- Nosy
Neutral: Questioning
Sometimes the press is too nosy about the life of a politician or celebrity to the point that there is no more privacy.
- Peculiar
Neutral: Different
I want to go to the police and report that a peculiar person is following me, but I don’t have any evidence.
- Picky
Neutral: Selective
Elena is very picky about who she chooses to talk to or be with in her life.
- Prying
Neutral: Interested
He’s earnest about not wanting anyone prying into his affairs.
- Scrawny
Neutral: Thin
I want to ask my dad why most of his construction workers have scrawny bodies.
- Skinny
Positive: In-shape
Many bullied and teased my friend at school because of her skinny legs.
- Stingy
Neutral: Saving
After mourning her stingy husband’s death, Sharon is now free to buy whatever she wants.
- Stubborn
Neutral: Tenacious
Our pediatrician said that the more we nag my youngest son, the more stubborn he will be.
- Workaholic
Positive: Diligent
His mother wants to talk to him about being too workaholic that he doesn’t realize he’s already neglecting himself.
Other Connotative Words
Many connotative words exist because people use them in different situations and ways in both verbal and non-verbal communication. In writing and speaking, you have to choose the right words to avoid misunderstandings caused by misinterpretations.
Take note of the connotative words below to expand your knowledge about connotations further:
- Astute (Positive)
For the next election, look for a leader who’s astute and hungry for change.
- Calculative (Neutral)
The army general is very calculative and observant of his enemies before he plans an attack.
- Cowardly (Negative)
Jake wants to have the lead part, not the supporting character, but he’s too cowardly to complain.
- Diligent (Positive)
The teacher thinks Miguel is more diligent than the other students and hopes to be his classmates’ role model.
- Frugal (Positive)
The newborn’s parents pray that their child will be intelligent, hardworking, and frugal.
- Generous (Positive)
Although they are poor, Celeste’s family is still very kind and generous to other people.
- Gentle (Positive)
Tommy is a lovely boy, gentle and caring, all thanks to her parents.
- Hyperactive (Negative)
Our professor said there’s a chance that our research will be used in treating hyperactive kids.
- Impulsive (Positive)
His impulsive decision to lower their new products’ price resulted in more sales and good feedback.
- Obsessive (Negative)
She’s becoming increasingly obsessive about cleanliness wherever she goes, and people find it weird.
- Sentimental (Positive)
My mother doesn’t want to leave because she has a strong sentimental attachment to our old house.
- Serious (Positive)
Shine is working hard to pass law school; he’s serious about becoming a lawyer.
Do you want to expand your judicial dictionary? Here is a list of legal words to know.
- Sharp-tongue (Negative)
Janine has a sharp-tongue; she thinks it’s normal to criticize people constantly.
- Sober (Positive)
I will soon complain to the landlord about the noisy drunkards next door, so they will at least be sober.
- Smug (Negative)
I think he’ll be unbearably smug about winning the election.
- Soft (Neutral)
Leon is a man with a soft personality; he’s very emotional and cries at sad scenes in movies.
- Strong-willed (Positive)
That student is very strong-willed, and if he decides to drop out of school, nothing will be able to stop him.
- Witty (Positive)
She always has a witty answer to any question.Do you want to develop your essay skills? Here is a list of essay writing skills all writers need to master.
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