metamessage

Etymology

From meta- + message.

metamessage means an implicit message that could be inferred or implied from a message. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 89 out of 100.

Why this word is great

METAMESSAGE — [Noun] The implicit, contextual frame that instructs how a primary message is to be interpreted; the unspoken communication about the communication itself. From the English prefix meta- (denoting a higher level of abstraction or analysis) + message (a communicated piece of information). Unlike subtext (which is a buried theme within the content) or paralanguage (which is the specific vehicle of vocal cues), the metamessage is the abstracted, governing rulebook decoded from the totality of an exchange. It is the coiled tension in a partner's "Fine"; the emoji wink that rescues a text from offense; the unmistakable verdict delivered in a windowless office at 4:45 PM on a Friday—the ghost in the machine of every conversation, telling us what we are to each other.

noun

An implicit message that could be inferred or implied from a message.“When you read between the lines, you might find a metamessage behind what somebody is outwardly saying.”
A message about messages.