subject matter, content, message, substance - what a communication that is about something is about

lexical meaning - the meaning of a word that depends on the nonlinguistic concepts it is used to express

grammatical meaning - the meaning of a word that depends on its role in a sentence; varies with inflectional form

symbolisation, symbolization - the use of symbols to convey meaning

signified, sense - the meaning of a word or expression; the way in which a word or expression or situation can be interpreted; "the dictionary gave several senses for the word"; "in the best sense charity is really a duty"; "the signifier is linked to the signified"

connotation, intension - what you must know in order to determine the reference of an expression

referent - something referred to; the object of a reference

gist, burden, essence, effect, core - the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work

purport, intent, spirit - the intended meaning of a communication

moral, lesson - the significance of a story or event; "the moral of the story is to love thy neighbor"

nuance, subtlety, nicety, refinement, shade - a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude; "without understanding the finer nuances you can't enjoy the humor"; "don't argue about shades of meaning"

overtone - (usually plural) an ulterior implicit meaning or quality; "overtones of despair"

point - a brief version of the essential meaning of something; "get to the point"; "he missed the point of the joke"; "life has lost its point"