Showing posts with label connotation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label connotation. Show all posts

April 29 - What's another word for...?

 Posted on April 29, 2021


This is an update of my post published on April 29, 2010:



On this date in 1852, the first edition of an English-language thesaurus created by Dr. Peter Mark Roget was published. It included 15,000 words. Since that year, Roget's Thesaurus has never been out of print, and the words inside have steadily grown—and it's very near half a million words by now!


Here's what it is: A thesaurus is a list of words organized by concept, with synonyms (words with the same or similar meanings) and sometimes antonyms (words with opposite meanings) listed together. 

Here's what it's NOT: It is not a list with which writers and students can simply swap words, because often the meanings of the words - aka their definitions - or the feeling-tones of the words - aka their connotations - are different. 

People using a thesaurus can browse a list looking for just the right word.

Here's an example: in one section of Roget's Thesaurus we find market, mart, emporium, open air market, marketplace, flea market, auction room, street market, shop, store, depot, warehouse, bazaar, trading post, arcade, trading center, department store, chain store, trade fair, exchange, exhibition, boutique, supermarket, grocery store, superstore, cash and carry, convenience store, stall, booth, stand, corner shop, kiosk, newsstand, counter, vending machine, shopping center, mall, fete...




Each of these words has a particular meaning and tone. A J.C.Penny's isn't a boutique or kiosk, and the tiny floral shop on the corner isn't a grocery store or trading post.


Dr. Roget started his word list in 1805, two years before Daniel Webster started writing his dictionary. Dr. Roget used his list privately for almost 50 years before publishing it. He lived a long life (until age 90!) and was able to see his work through 28 printings (and, of course, there have been many, many more since then).

Rate the following words for their connotation.


Which of each word pair is more positive (or less negative) than the other?

Slim....skinny
Obese...sturdy
Immature...young
Timid...cautious
Communicative...babbling
Gossipy...newsy
Fanciful...untrue
Precise...fastidious
Deceptive...unrealistic
Idiotic...foolish
Inquisitive...nosy


My Answers: I think that these words are more positive (less negative): slim, sturdy, young, cautious, communicative, newsy, fanciful, precise, unrealistic, foolish, inquisitive. Do you agree?

Brain POP Jr has some activities about synonyms and antonyms.

Scholastic has lessons on connotations!

One way to come up with the right word is to brainstorm and create a word cloud...Like, what does "comfort food" mean to you?


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January 13, 2010


Defenders of Freedom Day – Lithuania

In March, 1990, Lithuania had declared itself independent from the Soviet Union. But it wasn't until this day in 1991 that that independence crystallized for many.

Unfortunately, Lithuania's liberty cost 14 brave people their lives.

During this “Winter War,” the Soviet Union tried to crush—literally crush, with tanks—the newly reborn nation of Lithuania. Armed Soviet troops and tanks mobilized in the capital, Vilnius, and tried to take over the Parliament, the TV tower, radio buildings and the printing house. However, thousands of Lithuanians poured out into the streets and resisted. Without weapons, some were mowed down when soldiers shot into the crowd and when tanks advanced.

I read moving accounts of average, everyday people who never thought of themselves as heroes, sure they were going to die and wishing they had a chance to say goodbye to their loved ones, standing their ground against the tanks...singing songs...advising each other to stand away from the windows of the Parliament building they guarded, to reduce injury if the Soviets fired on the building...and then responding with joy and disbelief when the Soviet tanks turned around.

The small nation of Lithuania thus defended itself against the once-mighty Soviet empire.

This event is sometimes called the Singing Revolution because the crowds of Lithuanians were armed only with courage and songs. It is definitely an example of peaceful protest winning against aggression.

Commemorate the peaceful protesters who lost their lives in Lithuania 19 years ago by exploring peaceful ways to resolve minor, everyday conflicts.

Discuss with others ways in which people are able to solve difficulties without resorting to aggression.

  • Here is a website with an interesting picture story of two donkeys (scroll down). They were in a lose-lose situation but managed to turn it into a win-win situation.
  • According to Andrew at the blog “A Peaceful Resolution,” sometimes we get aggressive just in the way we talk to other people, if we interrupt them or pounce on mistakes or argue a lot. He suggests adopting a “Tell-Me-More Buffer” so that you don't respond too quickly, before the other person has even gotten his or her point out.
This is useful when someone has said something that makes you mad. Instead of responding right away, you can say, “Tell me more.” You'll have a chance to hear more—and maybe understand better—of what that other person is trying to say. You'll have a cool-down period so that, when you do respond, you can be calm and reasonable. Good idea, huh?
Did you ever notice...
...that resolution is only one letter different from revolution?

Different words have negative or positive connotations (which is the emotional coloration that adds to the actual meaning of a word).

For example, slim sounds more attractive than skinny. You'd want to have an item of clothing that is a good value, but not necessarily one that is cheap. Careful tends to be a compliment; guarded and unadventurous, not so much.

What do you think the connotations of these revolutionary words are? Which are positive, and which are negative? Does it just matter which side you're on?

1.rebel
2.maverick
3.agitator
4.nonconformist
5.protester
6.traitor
7.revolt
8.uprising
9.riot
10.resistance
11.mutiny
12.insurrection










ANSWERS: There are no actual answers. I believe that 1, 3, and 6 seem much more negative than 2, 4, and 5. And certainly 6 sounds the worst of the bunch to me. The most violent of the first 6, it seems to me, is 1.

Numbers 9 and 11 seem quite negative, and I have a pretty negative feeling about 12, too. Both 7 and 8 seem neutral—I can imagine good OR bad revolts and uprisings. Number 10 seems peaceful and probably righteous. The most violent of the last half, I believe, is 7.

Overall, I think that words used to describe revolution are deliberately chosen to make us feel sympathy for either the rebels or for those rebelled against.
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