What is meant by "connotation"?

The term "connotation" refers specifically to the emotional or cultural associations that a word carries beyond its literal definition. This encompasses the feelings, attitudes, or ideas that are evoked in a reader or listener when they encounter a particular word. For instance, the word "home" may connotate warmth, safety, and comfort, in addition to its basic meaning of a place where one lives. These associations can vary widely among different cultures, contexts, or individual experiences, which makes understanding connotation crucial for both reading comprehension and effective writing.

In contrast, the literal meaning of a word is its denotation, which is not what connotation refers to. The grammatical role of a word pertains to its function within a sentence (such as noun or verb), while the historical background of a word involves its origin and etymology, which are separate from its current meanings and associations.