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

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2. inherent, complete, total.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for implicitly

essentially, completely, inherently, unreservedly

Examples from the Web for implicitly

Contemporary Examples of implicitly

In tackling this issue, Watson is, whether she knows it or not, also implicitly taking on a broader issue.
The Gender-Pay Gap: It’s Real, and Yes, It’s Sexism
Monica Potts
September 27, 2014
Because programs like TFA implicitly reveal the problem with the main core of U.S. teacher preparation.
Stop Scapegoating Teach for America
Conor P. Williams
September 24, 2014
“To us, when church officials talk about forgiveness, they implicitly imply that the crisis is over,” said Clohessy.
Why Pope Francis’s Apology Isn’t Good Enough for Sex Abuse Victims
Barbie Latza Nadeau
April 11, 2014
A Kansas that enshrines discrimination against gays is, implicitly, a Kansas that has declared its contempt for their lives.
Anti-Gay Jim Crow Comes to Kansas
Jamelle Bouie
February 13, 2014
This implicitly rebukes North Carolina as it moves to cut back on early balloting as part of its wildly controversial plan.
A Bipartisan Path to Fixing America’s Broken Elections
Michael Waldman
January 24, 2014

Historical Examples of implicitly

For months Donald Whiting had obeyed Linda implicitly and instantly.
Her Father's Daughter
Gene Stratton-Porter
"You spoke a while ago as if you didn't trust him implicitly," she said.
Good Indian
B. M. Bower
He was implicitly trusted by all, even by Hatteras, who cherished a deep affection for him.
The Field of Ice
Jules Verne
He had no intention of trusting too implicitly to that loudly proclaimed fatigue.
The Inn at the Red Oak
Latta Griswold
But my reader may not have retained in her memory the facts to which I implicitly refer.
Wilfrid Cumbermede
George MacDonald

British Dictionary definitions for implicitly

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 implicitly

adv.

c.1600, from implicit + -ly (2).

implicit

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