What is the plain and direct meaning of a word called?

• A. Denotation
• B. Connotation
• C. Nuance
• D. Metaphor

Answer: (A)

Denotation is the dictionary, literal meaning of a word—the direct sense you would find in a definition, without emotional overtones. When a question asks for the plain and direct meaning, it’s asking for the denotation. For example, the denotation of "home" is a dwelling where someone lives; its connotation includes warmth, safety, and family associations beyond the literal definition. The other terms describe different things: connotation is those feelings and ideas the word carries beyond the dictionary sense, nuance is subtle shades of meaning, and metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two things by saying one is the other. So the plain, direct meaning is denotation.