implicitly
Americanadverb
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without actually saying so; in a way that does not use words.
Consumers buying the company’s products are implicitly accepting its practices.
-
without question or reservation; absolutely.
I trusted her implicitly and listened intently to everything she said.
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as an inherent but hidden part of the way things are; latently.
The threat of violence against women is implicitly present all around us, everywhere.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of implicitly
Explanation
When you express something indirectly, you say it implicitly. Your sister might implicitly suggest that you're the one who ate the last cookie by glaring at you then looking at the empty plate. When you communicate something implicitly, you don't say it directly. Instead, you might drop hints or let your actions express it, like when a teacher doesn't stop a kid from bullying another, which implicitly says it's okay to bully. Implicitly can also be a synonym for absolutely — you trust your best friend implicitly: completely, without any reservations.
Vocabulary lists containing implicitly
Oliver Twist
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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
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"Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry
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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.
Since that unforgettable US Open run, Raducanu has shown she plays better when surrounded by long-time confidants who she trusts implicitly.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
On the other side of the argument, Roberto Suarez Santos, from the International Organisation of Employers, said the 1948 convention "neither explicitly nor implicitly covers the right to strike."
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
You’re implicitly saying that whatever you currently hold is the best allocation in this environment.
From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026
His language implicitly reaffirmed a vision of citizenship based on civic membership rather than ethnic inheritance.
From Salon • May 11, 2026
It recognized England’s right to retain tariffs on American exports while granting English imports most-favored status in the United States; it implicitly accepted English impressment of American sailors.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
