implicitly

American  

[im-plis-it-lee] / ɪmˈplɪs ɪt li /

adverb

1. without actually saying so; in a way that does not use words.

   Consumers buying the company’s products are implicitly accepting its practices.

2. without question or reservation; absolutely.

   I trusted her implicitly and listened intently to everything she said.

3. as an inherent but hidden part of the way things are; latently.

   The threat of violence against women is implicitly present all around us, everywhere.

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Other Word Forms

• unimplicitly
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of implicitly

implicit ( def. ) + -ly

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Explanation

When you express something indirectly, you say it implicitly. Your sister might implicitly suggest that you're the one who ate the last cookie by glaring at you then looking at the empty plate. When you communicate something implicitly, you don't say it directly. Instead, you might drop hints or let your actions express it, like when a teacher doesn't stop a kid from bullying another, which implicitly says it's okay to bully. Implicitly can also be a synonym for absolutely — you trust your best friend implicitly: completely, without any reservations.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

implicitly

“You’re asking the question because implicitly you assume that I’ll have dual loyalties, right?”

From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026

Israel Gantz, head of an umbrella settler group, blamed recent incidents on "groups of provocateurs and terrorists" but implicitly acknowledged some Israelis' responsibility.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

Very occasionally, one will say something anodyne—border security is important, police are necessary—that implicitly criticizes the party’s wildest excesses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

For Kenyan geographer Kioko Muendo, this has implicitly downplayed Africa's vast resources, population and investment opportunities.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

She was flat chested, insisted on wearing glasses and no makeup, refused to grow out her hair, and commonly occupied spaces—like Insomnia Con—that seemed to be implicitly reserved for men.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

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Related Words

• essentially

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