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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

• implicitness
  noun
• implicity
  noun
• implicitly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of implicit

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin implicitus “involved, obscure,” variant past participle of implicāre; see origin at 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

See Examples For:

implicit

It shows the implicit return projections for nine valuation indicators, each chosen because of its statistically significant track record in forecasting the S&P 500’s subsequent 10-year real total return.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026

He has a well-documented history of trafficking in conspiracy theories himself, which made his ambiguous invocation of federal involvement a kind of implicit validation to conspiracy theorists that there might be more to the story.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

The implicit joke in the song is that no “streetwise Hercules,” as Tyler describes the man she seeks, could ever come on stronger or faster than she herself does over Steinman’s relentless groove.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

To target GLP-1 users in a more implicit way, Nestlé is printing clear nutrition labels on packs and changing some of its portion sizes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

The implicit answer was in the second resolution.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

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