explicitly

[ik-splis-it-lee]

adverb

1. in a way that is clearly expressed, demonstrated, or formulated.

   There are a couple of important points that I wish had been made more clearly and explicitly.

   We should also explicitly advocate for ourselves when it comes to promotions or raises.

2. in a way that is direct or precise; specifically.

   Women and underrepresented minorities are explicitly invited to apply.

3. in a graphic or detailed way; not leaving anything to the imagination.

   The art to be displayed cannot include explicitly sexual scenes, nudity, or salacious or revealing imagery.

Other Word Forms

• overexplicitly adverb
• quasi-explicitly adverb
• superexplicitly adverb
• unexplicitly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of explicitly¹

explicit ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

We explicitly tax for-profit corporations — and the likes of Amazon, Nike, and FedEx still manage to avoid paying all federal taxes, resulting in billions of dollars in lost revenue.

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The Constitution explicitly grants power to the legislative and judicial branches too, which we all learned in elementary school is called the balance of power.

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“The opinion explicitly states it doesn’t rely on the counterproliferation argument,” a Justice Department spokesman said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Notably, the bill explicitly strips federal officials of qualified immunity—a legal doctrine that has long shielded government agents from personal liability even in cases of egregious constitutional violations.

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But the body explicitly revoked that text in 1991—to my knowledge, something it had never done before and hasn’t had to do since.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• absolutely 
• altogether 
• carefully 
• completely 
• correctly www.thesaurus.com
• definitely 
• indeed 
• literally 
• precisely 
• quite 
• specifically 
• strictly 
• totally 
• truly