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View synonyms for subtext

subtext

[ suhb-tekst ]

noun

  1. the underlying or implicit meaning, as of a literary work.


subtext

/ ˈsʌbˌtɛkst /

noun

  1. an underlying theme in a piece of writing
  2. a message which is not stated directly but can be inferred


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Other Words From

  • sub·textu·al adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of subtext1

1945–50; translation of Russian podtékst; sub-, text

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Example Sentences

The subtext of the clown is that life is a joke and can be snatched away at any moment.

These witnesses should be of the same gender as the employee, to avoid any suggestion of a “sexual subtext”.

And the subtext to that remark, just in case you missed it, is: and neither should he!

It is, in a way, a lighthearted routine with a dark subtext: many of those gathered are accustomed to failure at auditions.

And so on and so forth, with the ominous subtext fairly shrieking  over the pleasant and heartwarming text.

These have been converted into two equations on two lines, with the arrow subtext moved into the equations.

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