denotatively en · ADV
Etymology
From denotative + -ly.
Meanings
-
In a way that denotes.
"Risks," in other words, may appear ominous and act as a barrier to thought about the message. In sum, to invoke more conscious thought about a verbal message, message designers should select more denotatively specific language.
1995, Designing Health Messages: Approaches from Communication Theory, →ISBN, page 18:We use words either denotatively or connotatively; denotatively when a word is used as a mere mark or sign to point out which thing of all possible things we mean to speak of, and connotatively when it is used to point out a supposed characteristic of the thing denoted.
1878, Shadworth Hollway Hodgson, The philosophy of reflection, volume 1, page 9:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most denotatively | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more denotatively | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |