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subtext

American  
[suhb-tekst] / ˈsʌbˌtɛkst /

noun

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

subtext British  
/ ˈsʌbˌtɛkst /

noun

  1. an underlying theme in a piece of writing

  2. a message which is not stated directly but can be inferred

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • subtextual adjective

Etymology

Origin of subtext

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.