tacit
Americanadjective
-
understood without being openly expressed; implied.
tacit approval.
- Synonyms:
- implicit, unsaid, unspoken, unexpressed
-
silent; saying nothing.
a tacit partner.
-
unvoiced or unspoken.
a tacit prayer.
adjective
-
implied or inferred without direct expression; understood
a tacit agreement
-
created or having effect by operation of law, rather than by being directly expressed
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tacit
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin tacitus “silent,” past participle of tacēre “to be silent” (cognate with Gothic thahan; akin to Old Norse thegja )
Explanation
Something tacit is implied or understood without question. Holding hands might be a tacit acknowledgment that a boy and girl are dating. The adjective tacit refers to information that is understood without needing to acknowledge it. For example, since we know that the sky is blue, that kind of assumption is tacit. Lawyers talk about "tacit agreements," where parties give their silent consent and raise no objections.
Vocabulary lists containing tacit
Lord of the Flies
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To Kill a Mockingbird
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 20–25
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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.
“But unlike physical abuse and neglect, financial abuse is more likely to occur with the tacit acknowledgment and consent of the elder person and can be more difficult to detect and establish,” it adds.
From MarketWatch • May 25, 2026
Designer Gianni Versace challenged this tacit rule in his Fall/Winter 1991 collection.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
A spokesman said the mayor is “deeply opposed” to the Israel expo, and failing to speak out against those intimidating a Jewish congregation gives tacit approval.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
Bezos attended that screening, which many of us saw as tacit acknowledgment that he was taking her lessons in character, comportment and competence to heart.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
Mammachi knew this, but preferred to construe Margaret Kochamma’s silence as a tacit acceptance of payment for the favors Mammachi imagined she bestowed on her son.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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.
