Connotation is King

One of the first lessons we learn about language is connotation and denotation.  Denotation is what a word actually means, often described as the "dictionary definition".  Connotation, then, is what the word implies.  It's an interesting structure and an interesting lesson: words mean more than their meanings.

Frugal, thrifty, cheap, and miserly all have the same denotation: one who does not spend much money.  But they have different connotations.  Being frugal and thrifty are laudable qualities, whereas being cheap or miserly are things to be ashamed of.

This is all well and good for the first decade or so, but eventually something clicks: If words are distinguished by their connotations, how can they be considered in any way the same? If synonyms cannot be used interchangeably, then they are not really synonyms, are they?  Connotation determines usage far more than denotation could ever hope.

Connotation is king.  A word's meaning is determined by what people think it means.  This is nothing new, of course.  It's a fundamental law of language.  However, it is one to keep in mind next time you are thumbing through your thesaurus.