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subtext

 - 3 dictionary results

sub⋅text

  [suhb-tekst]
–noun
the underlying or implicit meaning, as of a literary work.
Use subtext in a Sentence
Origin:
1945–50; trans. of Russ podtékst; see sub-, text

Related forms:
sub⋅tex⋅tu⋅al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To subtext
sub·text   (sŭb'těkst')   
n.  

  1. The implicit meaning or theme of a literary text.

  2. The underlying personality of a dramatic character as implied or indicated by a script or text and interpreted by an actor in performance.

sub·tex·tu·al (-těks'chōō-əl) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

subtext 
"underlying theme of a work of literature, 1950, from sub- + text. Originally a term in Konstantin Stanislavsky's theory of acting. Earlier it was used in a lit. sense of "text appearing below other text on a page" (1726).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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