Meaning of subtext | Babel Free

Definitions

The implicit meaning of a text, often a literary one, or a speech or dialogue.

countable, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“Everyone heard the announcement, but not everyone agrees on what the subtext was.”

“The word dick has meant penis since the 1890s, but Chester Gould’s private detective “Dick Tracy” has no puerile subtext related to this word.”

“While his major plays appear on the surface to have little plot, their subtext is full of overheated romance and melodrama.”

CEFR level