implicated

American  

[im-pli-key-tid] / ˈɪm plɪˌkeɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. shown to be also involved, especially in an incriminating manner.

   In the wake of last year’s doping scandal, the Cycling Federation states that this year’s team will have no connection to any of the implicated team members, either directly or indirectly.

2. implied as a necessary circumstance, or as something to be inferred or understood.

   My defensive post was answering an implicated accusation that clearly overstepped the boundaries of an opinion.

3. intimately connected or related, or affected as a result.

   The paper delves into the historical background of our modern understanding of time, as well as the implicated problem of infinity.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of implicate.

Other Word Forms

• unimplicated adjective

Etymology

Origin of implicated

implicate ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Inflammation has been implicated in many health problems including Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

AFP and SourceMaterial identified two other companies implicated in the probe, Surya Inti Primakarya, whose director, Van Ricardo, was arrested, and Bumi Mulia Makmur, whose director, Erwin, was arrested.

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

Some posts simply pointed out the corporate structure of the company, while others incorrectly claimed that Black was the CEO of Lifetouch, or that Lifetouch was implicated directly in the files.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

The timing fueled viral rumors that Lifetouch — which photographs millions of students annually — could be implicated or that student images might be at risk.

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2026

We are all implicated when we allow other people to be mistreated.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• involved