explicitly

American  

[ik-splis-it-lee] / ɪkˈsplɪs ɪt li /

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.

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of explicitly

explicit ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

When you explain something explicitly, you do it in great detail, leaving no room for misunderstanding. You could intimidate your little brother by explicitly describing what you'll do if he reads your diary. Something that's said or done explicitly is clear and direct, like an explicitly told story about terrible poverty in India — it leaves out no disturbing details, even if it upsets the listener. Explicitly can also refer to sexual situations or details, like a movie whose sex scenes are shown explicitly, or graphically. The Latin root is explicare, "unfold, unravel, explain."

Example Sentences

Toossi doesn’t grapple explicitly with the fraught internal politics of the Iran of the period.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

While the Transportation Department doesn’t explicitly state that passengers should be compensated for subpar flight experiences, travelers like Monique believe that requests for such compensation are warranted.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

In case anyone detects ambiguity in this clause, Article 6, though almost never cited, states the matter explicitly:

From Slate • Apr. 9, 2026

"We have a new model that we're explicitly not releasing to the public," Mike Krieger of Anthropic Labs said at a HumanX AI conference in San Francisco.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

The second fellowship was not for the customary twelve-month period but explicitly terminated after eight months, in the middle of May.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

Related Words

• absolutely
• altogether
• carefully
• completely
• correctly
• definitely
• indeed
• literally
• precisely
• quite
• specifically
• strictly
• totally
• truly