Imagine I tell you that Maddy is bad. Perhaps you infer from my intonation, or the context in which we are talking, that I mean morally bad. Additionally, you will probably infer that I am disapproving of Maddy, or saying that I think you should disapprove of her, or similar, given typical linguistic conventions and assuming I am sincere. ( ① ) However, you might not get a more detailed sense of the particular sorts of way in which Maddy is bad, her typical character traits, and the like, since people can be bad in many ways. ( ② ) In contrast, if I say that Maddy is wicked, then you get more of a sense of her typical actions and attitudes to others. ( ③ ) The word ‘wicked’ is more specific than ‘bad’. ( ④ ) But there is more detail nevertheless, perhaps a stronger connotation of the sort of person Maddy is. ( ⑤ ) In addition, and again assuming typical linguistic conventions, you should also get a sense that I am disapproving of Maddy, or saying that you should disapprove of her, or similar, assuming that we are still discussing her moral character.

* connotation: 함축