► meaning the thing or idea that a word, expression, or sign represents: The same symbol can have more than one meaning.
► significance the meaning and importance of something: We suddenly realized the significance of what Dad was saying – his new job meant we were moving to Chicago.
► sense one of the meanings of a word or phrase, when there are different possible meanings: We are going to be talking about “power” in the military sense of the word.
► definition a phrase or sentence that says exactly what a word, phrase, or idea means: I didn’t know what “confirmation” meant so I looked for a definition in the dictionary.
► denotation formal denotation means the same as meaning, but is used in formal language or linguistics: The denotation of the word “home” is the place where you live.
► connotation formal an idea or feeling that a word makes you think of, in addition to its basic meaning: The word “childish” has negative connotations, but the word “childlike” sounds more positive.
► nuance formal a very slight difference in the meaning of something that is difficult to notice: It is hard to translate some of the nuances of meaning into another language.