Positive Connotation Examples

When feelings are assigned as a definition to a particular word, it is called a connotation. Connotation has two types, positive and negative connotations. In this article, we will be discussing positive connotations and will also be providing sentence examples using positive connotations.

• Positive and Negative Connotations
• Connotation Examples – Definition & Types

Positive connotations, like negative connotations, can be used to your advantage but keep in mind how you are going to use it. For example, you are writing a script for a thriller movie. How can you make it thrilling if you are using words that exude nothing but positive vibes ? You should write a comedy instead if that’s the case. However, if you are indeed writing a script for a comedy, it is best if you take advantage of words that have positive connotations because it lightens the mood of your script and story line.

What is a Positive Connotation?

Connotation signifies another idea or meaning of a word depending on its usage. The positive connotation is when the meaning of a word being used has another meaning. The meaning of words that use positive connotation is something that is positive or formal.

What is the Difference Between Positive and Negative Connotations?

Connotations have two types: positive connotations and negative connotations. You may also see Positive and Negative Connotations.

It’s pretty easy to tell the difference between positive connotations and negative connotations. For example, you are to make a sentence about having a vacation in a rural area. Where would you preferably stay? In a cottage or a hotel? If you would say cabin, it would give off some negative vibes because staying in a cottage in the middle of nowhere with no security and no access to basic amenities is a recipe for disaster. But in the case of a hotel, it would mean the other way around as it gives the individual security and access to basic amenities. You may also see Connotation and Denotation Examples.

Examples of Positive Connotations in Sentences and Its Negative Counterparts

Positive connotation word counterpart: The classroom is filled with boxes that are filled with student documents.

Negative connotation: crammed

Positive connotation word counterpart: The fashion designer likes to study outfits from different countries so he can create a new style.

Negative connotation: scrutinizing someone’s outfit

Positive connotation word counterpart: The company gained a lot of profit last year.

Negative connotation: a company did not make a profit

Positive connotation: I am a very thrifty person.

Negative connotation word counterpart: an overspender

Positive connotation: I would like you to join our dance club where we will be able to dance in front of the whole student body.

Negative connotation word counterpart: a gang

Positive connotation: The students joined in an inter-school competition where they will be able to debate with the other group of students about political issues.

Negative connotation word counterpart: argue

Positive connotation: My sister convinced me to attend the party that will be held next door next week.

Negative connotation word counterpart: forcing

Positive connotation: She felt sentimental after her boyfriend gave her a life-sized teddy bear during Valentine’s Day.

Negative connotation word counterpart: angry

Positive connotation: The new manager has this air of confidence when he entered the office on his first day of work.

Negative connotation word counterpart: arrogance

Positive connotation: The mechanic said that the refrigerator and the air conditioner is still repairable.

Negative connotation phrase counterpart: impossible to fix

Positive connotation: I prefer buying economical items when it comes to toiletries; it’s my one way of showing concern for the environment.

Negative connotation phrase counterpart: cheap and low-quality

Positive connotation: The man looks lean because of his choice of skinny jeans.

Negative connotation word counterpart: scrawny

Positive connotation: My classmates are so talkative during class that their teacher scolded them for the entire period.

Negative connotation word counterpart: unruly

Positive connotation: Her children are so energetic that she decided to bring them to the playground to release their energy.

Negative connotation word counterpart: hyperactive

Positive connotation: The aroma of my mother’s cooking is so good that she got compliments from our neighbors.

Negative connotation word counterpart: stench

Positive connotation: obsession

Negative connotation word counterpart: avocation

Positive connotation: brave

Negative connotation word counterpart: scared

Positive connotation: accomodating

Negative connotation word counterpart: cunning

Positive connotation: Despite being a new hire, the new supervisor was confident in her first day of work.

Negative connotation word counterpart: bossy

Positive connotation: Her son was assertive in telling his mother about the course he wanted to take in college.

Negative connotation word counterpart: forceful

Positive connotation: It was so refreshing to sit inside the room where the air conditioner is set to medium-high.

Negative connotation phrase counterpart: sub-zero temperature

Positive connotation: She only chose natural colors for her prom makeup.

Negative connotation word counterpart: bland

Positive connotation: The cat was clever enough to jump inside the refrigerator where there is more food.

Negative connotation word counterpart: stupid

Positive connotation: The baby giggled when I tickled her arms and her stomach.

Negative connotation word counterpart: annoyed

Positive connotation: The president’s wife is a cultured woman who does not covet anything even the power of her husband.

Negative connotation word counterpart: rebellious

Positive connotation: The officer arrested the person who was overspeeding.

Negative connotation word counterpart: vigilante

Positive connotation: The lady who entered the store had an impressive slender build that I mistook her for a model.

Negative connotation word counterpart: skinny

Positive connotation: The statesman passes relevant laws that are indeed helpful to the country.

Negative connotation phrase counterpart: corrupt politician

Positive connotation: The baby smiled at me when I made faces.

Negative connotation word counterpart: irked

Examples of Positive Connotations in Literature

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.”
– Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare
(A summer’s day connotes beauty, which has a positive connotation, and it also implies the fairness of his beloved)

“She’s all states, and all princes, I,
Nothing else is.
Princes do but play us; compared to this,
All honor’s mimic, all wealth alchemy.”
– The Sun Rising by John Donne
(This a positive connotation because the two subjects feel wealthier compared to others because of their love)

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answer’d it.”
– Julius Caesar by William Shakespear
(Lend me your ears positively connotes and encourages listening.)

The use of positive connotations is more encouraged since it gives off more positive vibes. But when your current state would need more of an honest opinion, there is a possibility that you would resort to using positive connotations in order not to hurt any feelings.

Make sure you balance the usage between positive and negative connotations because you have to keep in mind that there are sensitive people around you that can easily misunderstand the meaning of words used in your text.