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explicit
[ ik-splis-it ]
/ ɪkˈsplɪs ɪt /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adjective
fully and clearly expressed or demonstrated; leaving nothing merely implied; unequivocal: explicit instructions; an explicit act of violence; explicit language.
clearly developed or formulated: explicit knowledge; explicit belief.
definite and unreserved in expression; outspoken: He was quite explicit as to what he expected us to do for him.
having sexual acts or nudity clearly depicted: explicit movies; explicit books.
Mathematics. (of a function) having the dependent variable expressed directly in terms of the independent variables, as y = 3x + 4.Compare implicit (def. 4).
OTHER WORDS FOR explicit
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Origin of explicit
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin explicitus “unfolded, set forth,” variant past participle of explicāre; see origin at explicate
OTHER WORDS FROM explicit
Words nearby explicit
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use explicit in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for explicit (1 of 2)
explicit1
/ (ɪkˈsplɪsɪt) /
adjective
precisely and clearly expressed, leaving nothing to implication; fully statedexplicit instructions
graphically detailed, leaving little to the imaginationsexually explicit scenes
openly expressed without reservations; unreserved
maths (of a function) having an equation of the form y=f (x), in which y is expressed directly in terms of x, as in y=x 4 + x + zCompare implicit (def. 4)
Derived forms of explicit
explicitly, adverbexplicitness, nounWord Origin for explicit
C17: from Latin explicitus unfolded, from explicāre; see explicate
British Dictionary definitions for explicit (2 of 2)
explicit2
/ (ɪkˈsplɪsɪt) /
the end; an indication, used esp by medieval scribes, of the end of a book, part of a manuscript, etc
Word Origin for explicit
Late Latin, probably short for explicitus est liber the book is unfolded (or complete); shortened by analogy with incipit
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