implicit

[im-plis-it]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR implicit ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

implied, rather than expressly stated: implicit agreement.

unquestioning or unreserved; absolute: implicit trust; implicit obedience; implicit confidence.

potentially contained (usually followed by in): to bring out the drama implicit in the occasion.

Mathematics. (of a function) having the dependent variable not explicitly expressed in terms of the independent variables, as x2 + y2 = 1.Compare explicit(def 6).

Obsolete. entangled.

Origin of implicit

1590–1600; < Latin implicitus involved, obscure, variant past participle of implicāre. See implicate, -ite²

Related formsim·plic·it·ly, adverbim·plic·it·ness, im·plic·i·ty, nounun·im·plic·it·ly, adverb

Can be confusedexplicit implicit implied

Synonyms for implicit

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR implicit ON THESAURUS.COM

2. inherent, complete, total.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for implicit

unshakable, constant, steadfast, definite, tacit, unspoken, latent, implied, contained, accurate, certain, complete, constructive, entire, firm, fixed, full, inarticulate, inevitable, inferential

Examples from the Web for implicit

Contemporary Examples of implicit

Think about it: Dodd-Frank was explicitly passed to drive a stake through the heart of the implicit concept of “too big to fail.”
How Naive is Elizabeth Warren?
Nick Gillespie
December 18, 2014
By the implicit laws of capitalism, I'm pretty sure this makes Bieber the new commander in chief.
Justin Bieber Isn’t Even 21, Yet Makes More Money Than Meryl Streep
Amy Zimmerman
November 25, 2014
It is part and parcel of the implicit politics of Snap Judgment, which folds the margins of American society into its center.
NPR’s Smooth-Talking Millennial Whisperer
Batya Ungar-Sargon
October 7, 2014
It can be implicit and it can be body language, but it must be clear and unambiguous.
Is the Campus Rape Crisis Overblown?
Eleanor Clift
July 10, 2014
The only problem with Obama's formulation is its implicit assumption that Iraqi leaders can simply choose to make up.
How Iran and America Can Beat ISIS Together
Ben Van Heuvelen
June 21, 2014

Historical Examples of implicit

I knew your mother would be for implicit obedience in a child.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
Her eyes met his, unwavering, bespeaking her implicit faith.
The Black Bag
Louis Joseph Vance
Implicit obedience, to the very sacrifice of his son, was the law of his life.
The Ministry of Intercession
Andrew Murray
He had the most implicit trust in the old servant's fidelity.
The Sea-Hawk
Raphael Sabatini
The implicit obedience this autocrat commanded set them in a whirl.
Scaramouche
Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for implicit

implicit

adjective

not explicit; implied; indirectthere was implicit criticism in his voice

absolute and unreserved; unquestioningyou have implicit trust in him

(when postpositive, foll by in) contained or inherentto bring out the anger implicit in the argument

maths (of a function) having an equation of the form f(x,y) = 0, in which y cannot be directly expressed in terms of x, as in xy + x ² + y ³ x ² = 0Compare explicit 1 (def. 4)

obsolete intertwined

Derived Formsimplicitly, adverbimplicitness or implicity, noun

Word Origin for implicit

C16: from Latin implicitus, variant of implicātus interwoven; see implicate

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

Word Origin and History for implicit

1590s, from Middle French implicite and directly from Latin implicitus, later variant of implicatus, past participle of implicare (see implication).