Denotation
The literal, dictionary meaning of a word, apart from its associations.
Denotation is a word’s plain definition, the meaning it points to before any emotional coloring. Writers and critics distinguish it from connotation to analyze how much of a word’s effect comes from suggestion rather than strict sense. Precise denotation matters most where exactness or irony is at stake.
Example
Mr. Gradgrind’s demand for nothing but “Facts” prizes flat denotation and dismisses the richer connotations that give words life.
Hard Times · Charles Dickens