denotative

UK: /dɪˈnəʊtətɪv/ US: (dē′nō tā′tiv, di nō′tə tiv)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

de•no•ta•tive  (dē′nō tā′tiv, di nō′tə tiv), adj. 

1. having power to denote.
2. denoting or tending to denote:
   the denotative meaning of a word.

• denotate + -ive 1605–15

de′no•ta′tive•ly, adv. 
de′no•ta′tive•ness, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

denotative / dɪˈnəʊtətɪv/, denotive / dɪˈnəʊtɪv/ adjective

1. able to denote; designative
2. explicit; overt

deˈnotatively adverb