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.
Southern postmasters thus continued to withhold antislavery periodicals, with the tacit approval of Jackson protégé Kendall.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
Here, too, Dolly offered her region a tacit challenge by promoting the education reading can provide and, just as importantly, the empathy it can unlock.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
The Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch's al fresco speech and news conference on a rooftop in central London on Thursday was a tacit acknowledgement that the political terms of trade have changed.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Denning also includes intuition, gut feelings, imagination, and spontaneous creativity among the forms of tacit knowledge that remain beyond the reach of machines.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
A tacit but iron-bound procedure covered all evening meals at Les Amis Des Vieux Maitres.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
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.
