The denotative meaning of a word refers to?

The denotative meaning of a word refers to its literal meaning, the definition you would find in a dictionary. This meaning is objective and does not involve any emotions or associations beyond the basic definition of the word itself. For example, the denotative meaning of the word "snake" refers specifically to a legless, elongated reptile, without any additional connotation or emotional weight.

In contrast, other options reflect different aspects of meaning. The emotional meaning corresponds to connotations that may arise from personal or cultural associations with a word. The implied meaning involves layers of meaning that arise beyond the literal interpretation, often dependent on context or nuance. The contextual meaning takes into account the surrounding words, sentence structure, and the situation in which the word is used, which can further shape understanding. These alternative meanings highlight the richness of language but differ fundamentally from the denotative meaning, which remains straightforward and explicit.