Which phrase has a more negative connotation?
studying someone's outfit scrutinizing someone's outfit
Connotation is the feeling or idea that goes along with a word or phrase. Some words are close in meaning but have different connotations.
For example, think about the words eager and impatient. They both mean wanting something to happen, but they have different connotations.
Eager has a positive connotation. It is a nice word. An eager person is happy and excited.
Impatient has a negative connotation. It is not a nice word. An impatient person is often pushy and demanding.
Scrutinizing someone's outfit has a more negative connotation. Scrutinizing and studying both denote examining something closely. However, scrutinizing suggests looking at something in a critical way, while studying suggests looking at something in order to learn more about it.