Standard Lemma guide

subtext

noun · verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • CMU ARPABET: S AH1 B T EH2 K S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An implicit meaning of a text, often a literary one, or a speech or dialogue.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: literature, media, publishing

Examples

  • Everyone heard the announcement, but not everyone agrees on what the subtext was.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To create or use a subtext.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *upó Proto-Italic *supo Latin sub Latin sub-der. English sub- Proto-Indo-European *teḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-seti Proto-Indo-European *téḱseti Proto-Italic *teksō? Latin texō Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus New Latin textusbor. Old French textebor. Middle English text English text English subtext From sub- + text.

Across languages

Translations

22 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: kalarupthi — implicit meaning of a text
  • Armenian: ենթատեքստ (entʻatekʻst) — implicit meaning of a text
  • Bulgarian: подте́кст (podtékst) — implicit meaning of a text
  • Catalan: subtext — implicit meaning of a text
  • Chinese Mandarin: 潛台詞 /潜台词 (qiántáicí) — implicit meaning of a text
  • Czech: podtext — implicit meaning of a text
  • Finnish: alateksti — implicit meaning of a text
  • French: sous-texte — implicit meaning of a text
  • Georgian: ქვეტექსტი (kveṭeksṭi) — implicit meaning of a text
  • German: Subtext — implicit meaning of a text
  • Hebrew: משמעות סמוייה (mashma'ut smuya) — implicit meaning of a text
  • Hebrew: תת כותרת — implicit meaning of a text
  • Kazakh: бүкпе мән (bükpe män) — implicit meaning of a text
  • Kazakh: сөздің астары (sözdıñ astary) — implicit meaning of a text
  • Kazakh: мәтін астары (mätın astary) — implicit meaning of a text
  • Korean: 서브텍스트 (seobeu-tekseuteu) — implicit meaning of a text
  • Polish: podtekst — implicit meaning of a text
  • Portuguese: subtexto — implicit meaning of a text
  • Russian: подте́кст (podtékst) — implicit meaning of a text
  • Spanish: subtexto — implicit meaning of a text
  • Swedish: undertext — implicit meaning of a text
  • Swedish: undermening — implicit meaning of a text