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Synonyms

elicit

American  
[ih-lis-it] / ɪˈlɪs ɪt /

verb (used with object)

  1. to draw or bring out or forth; educe; evoke.

    to elicit the truth;

    to elicit a response with a question.


elicit British  
/ ɪˈlɪsɪt /

verb

  1. to give rise to; evoke

    to elicit a sharp retort

  2. to bring to light

    to elicit the truth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of elicit

First recorded in 1635–45; from Latin ēlicitus “drawn out” (past participle of ēlicere ), equivalent to ē- “from, out of” ( see e- 1) + lici- “draw, lure” + -tus past participle suffix

Explanation

When you elicit, you're bringing out a response of some sort. A good comedian elicits a lot of laughs. Elicit has to do with creating or provoking a response. A great speech will elicit cheers — a bad speech will elicit boos. Teachers try to elicit responses from students. If a friend smiles at you, it will probably elicit a smile of your own. In court, a lawyer might try to elicit mistakes and inconsistencies in the testimony of a witness. In all cases, whatever is elicited is some kind of response.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The research team, led by Professor Masaru Enomoto of the Graduate School of Medicine at Osaka Metropolitan University, fed identical clinical questions and literature selection criteria to two generative AIs; ChatGPT and Elicit.

From Science Daily • Dec. 9, 2023

The results showed that while ChatGPT suggested fictitious articles, Elicit was efficient, suggesting multiple references within a few minutes with the same level of accuracy as the researchers.

From Science Daily • Dec. 9, 2023

When he tried AI tools such as one called Elicit, he found that only some of the returned papers were relevant, and Elicit’s summaries weren’t accurate enough to win him over.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 21, 2023

Created in 2021 by a nonprofit research organization, Elicit is part of a growing stable of AI tools aiming to help scientists navigate the literature.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 21, 2023

Elicit interest from within, by the warmth with which you care for the topic yourself, and by following the laws I have laid down.

From Talks To Teachers On Psychology; And To Students On Some Of Life's Ideals by James, William