Dictionary.com

explicit

[ ik-splis-it ]
/ ɪkˈsplɪs ɪt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR explicit

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).

QUIZZES

BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!

Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.
Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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 THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH explicit

explicit , implicit, implied

Words nearby explicit

explicans, explicate, explication, explication de texte, explicative, explicit, explicit function, explicitly, explode, exploded view, explodent
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to explicit

precise, accurate, definitive, straightforward, categorical, clear-cut, clear, unequivocal, definite, positive, certain, obvious, exact, correct, absolute, clean-cut, direct, distinct, express, frank

Example sentences from the Web for explicit

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, noun

Word 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
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