implicit
Americanadjective
-
implied, rather than expressly stated.
implicit agreement.
-
unquestioning or unreserved; unconditional: implicit obedience;
implicit trust;
implicit obedience;
implicit confidence.
- Synonyms:
- total, complete, absolute, unqualified
-
potentially contained (usually followed byin ).
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 x 2 + y 2 = 1.
-
Obsolete. entangled.
adjective
-
not explicit; implied; indirect
there was implicit criticism in his voice
-
absolute and unreserved; unquestioning
you have implicit trust in him
-
contained or inherent
to 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 = 0 Compare explicit 1
-
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I’d like to think that there’s an implicit trust factor because of that decade of relationships. I don’t need years of random interaction getting up to speed.”
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
The same access journalism — the implicit bargain in which reporters trade critical distance for proximity to power — remains.
From Salon • Mar. 2, 2026
Prohibition currently functions as an implicit tax of staggering size.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026
Scientists know that implicit and explicit learning engage different brain systems, and this distinction may help explain why only speed training was associated with lower dementia risk in this analysis.
From Science Daily • Feb. 11, 2026
One enjoyed the official power of the state while the other enjoyed its implicit sanction.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
