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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
To Kill a Mockingbird
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 20–25
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Another tacit nod to things being less than united recently.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Missing from AI are the tacit knowledge and muscle memory that let people function in physical as well as social environments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
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
He had become chief minister of the KwaZulu homeland with the tacit support of the ANC, and even his launching of Inkatha as a Zulu cultural organization was unopposed by the organization.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
