As you saw in the opening vignette, a single word can have a lot of meanings. A dictionary can help you find the denotative meaning of a word—its basic, consistently accepted definition. But to be a competent communicator, you’ll also need to consider a word’s connotative meaning, people’s emotional or attitudinal response to it. Consider the word school. The noun has several denotative meanings, including a building where education takes place and a large group of fish. But the word can also carry strong connotative meanings based on your attitudes toward and experiences with school: it might bring back happy memories of class birthday parties in second grade, or it might make you feel anxious about final exams.

When you use a word, you must make sure the denotative meaning is clear. For example, you wouldn’t use the word ostentatious with a bunch of six-year-olds; they simply won’t understand it. You also have to be aware of a word’s possible connotative meanings (Hample, 1987). For instance, for some people, the term wife might imply a woman who does not work outside the home, who cooks all her husband’s meals, and who does all the household chores.