Connotations

Definition:

The emotional implications and associations that a word may carry, in contrast to its denotative meanings. Verb: connote. Adjective: connotative.

"The name reservation has a negative connotation among Native Americans--an intern camp of sorts."   (John Russell)

"Since 'tribe' has assumed a connotation of primitiveness or backwardness, it is suggested that the use of 'nation' or 'people' replace the term whenever possible in referring to Native American peoples."(R. B. Moore, "Racism in the English Language," in The Production of Reality, ed. J. O'Brien, 2005)

"[For many], socialism implies egalitarianism and that people are living for society, while capitalism has been given the connotation of materialism, 'greedy,' 'selfish,' 'self-serving,' and so on."(Milton Friedman)

 ...taking the time to find just the right word can make a world of difference.
Finding the right word often means being sensitive to a word's connotations--that is, its emotional associations or implied meanings. For instance, in a monologue on the "bizarre language used by the airline industry," comedian George Carlin points out the darker connotation of the word "terminal"--an "unfortunate word to be used in association with air travel." And recently, when I introduced a visitor from eastern Europe to a quite visibly pregnant colleague of mine, he cheerfully complimented the woman on her "breeding." Technically correct, perhaps, but connotatively inappropriate.
Clearly, learning the connotations of English words is a more complicated business than simply memorizing dictionary definitions. Take the word "dry," for example. A few of its connotations are: "good, if it's a wine; bad, if it's a lecture; indifferent, in relation to humor depending on your taste."
Careful writers choose words both for what they mean (that is, their dictionary meanings, or denotations) and for what they suggest (their connotations, or emotional associations). For instance, "slim," "scrawny," and "svelte" all have related denotative meanings (thin, let's say) but different connotative meanings. And if we're trying to pay someone a compliment, we better get the connotation right.
Here's another example. All of the following words and phrases refer to "a young person," but their connotations may be quite different depending, in part, on the context in which they appear: youngster, child, kid, little one, small fry, brat, urchin, juvenile, minor. Some of these words tend to carry favorable connotations (little one), others unfavorable (brat), and still others fairly neutral connotations (child). Calling a young person a brat lets our readers know at once how we feel about the rotten kid.