subtext

noun

sub·​text ˈsəb-ˌtekst 

: the implicit or metaphorical meaning (as of a literary text)

subtextual

ˌsəb-ˈteks-chə-wəl 

-chəl

adjective

subtextually adverb

Did you know?

A literary text often has more than one meaning: the literal meaning of the words on the page, and their hidden meaning, what exists "between the lines"—the subtext. Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, for example, is about the Salem witchcraft trials of the 17th century, but its subtext is the comparison of those trials with the "witch hunts" of the 1950s, when many people were unfairly accused of being communists. Even a social conversation between a man and a woman may have a subtext, but you may have to listen very closely to figure out what it is. Don't confuse subtext with subplot, a less important plot that moves along in parallel with the main plot.

Examples of subtext in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To capture this story and its political subtext, Hossain often observes at a distance, in the vein of the Dardenne brothers, though his control of mood and emotion isn’t quite as finessed (at least, not yet). —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 11 Sep. 2024

Perhaps readers in 2016 were eager to look past the book’s highly loaded subtext and overt classism, as the promise of a sympathetic conservative who could unlock Trumplandia for liberals was just too appealing. —Aja Romano, Vox, 17 July 2024

These extreme reactions stem from a dangerous and increasingly popular subtext about Caitlin Clark’s greatness, one that paints Clark as a transcendent star and her peers as terminally jealous individuals. —Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 11 June 2024

Because even subtext is better than no text at all, especially back then. —David Opie, IndieWire, 16 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined above