implicit

American  

[im-plis-it] / ɪmˈplɪs ɪt /

adjective

1. implied, rather than expressly stated.

   implicit agreement.

2. unquestioning or unreserved; unconditional: implicit obedience;

   implicit trust;

   implicit obedience;

   implicit confidence.

   Synonyms:

   total, complete, absolute, unqualified

3. potentially contained (usually followed byin ).

   to bring out the drama implicit in the occasion.

4. Mathematics. (of a function) having the dependent variable not explicitly expressed in terms of the independent variables, as x 2 + y 2 = 1.

5. Obsolete. entangled.

---

implicit British  

/ ɪmˈplɪsɪt /

adjective

1. not explicit; implied; indirect

   there was implicit criticism in his voice

2. absolute and unreserved; unquestioning

   you have implicit trust in him

3. contained or inherent

   to bring out the anger implicit in the argument

4. 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 = 0 Compare explicit 1

5. obsolete intertwined

---

Other Word Forms

• implicitly adverb
• implicitness noun
• implicity noun

Etymology

Origin of implicit

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin implicitus “involved, obscure,” variant past participle of implicāre; implicate, -ite ²

Explanation

Use the adjective implicit when you mean that something is understood but not clearly stated. You might think you and your boyfriend might have an implicit understanding that you are going to get married, but it's probably better to talk it through. A very near synonym of implicit in this particular meaning is the word implied. But the adjective implicit also means "without any doubt," so we can say that we have implicit trust or confidence in someone. The Latin root implicāre means "to involve or entangle." Another English word with a more obvious connection to this Latin root is the verb implicate.

Example Sentences

These kick in when they involve an investor from a country that holds more than 40 percent of the related global manufacturing capacity -- an implicit reference to China's dominance in those sectors.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

The same access journalism — the implicit bargain in which reporters trade critical distance for proximity to power — remains.

From Salon • Mar. 2, 2026

The implicit assumption is that earnings are driven primarily by procurement wins and geopolitical events.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 28, 2026

Prohibition currently functions as an implicit tax of staggering size.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

Another is that his reference to an experimentum crucis is an implicit nod to Pascal’s Puy-de-Dôme experiment: Pascal’s experiment had been preceded by earlier experiments and earlier theorizing, but in a way that was irrelevant.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• constant
• contained
• definite
• implied
• latent
• steadfast
• tacit
• unshakable
• unspoken