tacit

[ tas-it ]

adjective

1. understood without being openly expressed; implied:

   tacit approval.

   Synonyms: implicit, unsaid, unspoken, unexpressed

2. silent; saying nothing:

   a tacit partner.

3. unvoiced or unspoken:

   a tacit prayer.

tacit

/ ˈtæsɪt /

adjective

1. implied or inferred without direct expression; understood

   a tacit agreement

2. created or having effect by operation of law, rather than by being directly expressed

Derived Forms

• ˈtacitness, noun
• ˈtacitly, adverb

Other Words From

• tac·it·ly adverb
• tac·it·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tacit¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin tacitus “silent,” past participle of tacēre “to be silent” (cognate with Gothic thahan; akin to Old Norse thegja )

Word History and Origins

Origin of tacit¹

C17: from Latin tacitus, past participle of tacēre to be silent

Example Sentences

Citing the coronavirus pandemic, the IOC said it’s making this early step “given the uncertainty the world is facing right now,” but the move is also a tacit acknowledgment that its traditional bidding system is not as effective as it once was.

From Washington Post

It’s a tacit admission that USPS is not currently America’s preferred delivery option, and an acknowledgement the organization needs to change.

From Quartz

A conviction is unlikely to come at this point, meaning the United States Senate is going to give its tacit approval for what happened just steps from the Senate floor.

From Time

A statement signed by former cross-country world champion Paula Radcliffe, along with 22 other elite women athletes, pushed back against the assertion that having shorter races for women was a tacit insult to their ability.

From Outside Online

Part of this stemmed from the tacit encouragement of people who knew better.

From Washington Post

Meese, with the tacit acquiescence of other top officials, had laid out a version of events all were expected to uphold.

From The Daily Beast

At the same time, this focus on pragmatism is a tacit acknowledgment from the president.

From The Daily Beast

In briefings with some reporters U.S. officials indicated tacit Libyan approval had been provided.

From The Daily Beast

The five- page document, which has the tacit support of Senate GOP leaders, represents a remarkable shift for the party.

From The Daily Beast

There is, in the cancellation, a tacit admission of culpability where there is none.

From The Daily Beast

Without any known cause of offence, a tacit acknowledgement of mutual dislike was shewn by Louis and de Patinos.

From Project Gutenberg

The visitors, seeing how distressed the General was, by tacit consent avoided the subject, but everyone felt the dampening effect.

From Project Gutenberg

Mr. Pontellier had been a rather courteous husband so long as he met a certain tacit submissiveness in his wife.

From Project Gutenberg

His attitude became one of good-humored subservience and tacit adoration.

From Project Gutenberg

When a man talks about "spiritual discernment," he makes a tacit assertion which ought not to be allowed to pass unchallenged.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• implicit
• implied
• indirect
• unspoken