implicit

[im-plis-it]

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.

implicit

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• implicitness noun
• implicitly adverb
• implicity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of implicit¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin implicitus “involved, obscure,” variant past participle of implicāre; implicate, -ite ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of implicit¹

C16: from Latin implicitus, variant of implicātus interwoven; see _implicate

Example Sentences

His own style, which is to say his mind, was compulsively metaphorical, gorgeously maximal, enough so to make him worry about “an implicit marvelling at myself as expressor.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But for AI to act on this implicit knowledge, we need to incentivize it to do so.

Read more on Salon

“We have zero tolerance for direct or implicit threats against government officials,” Essayli wrote in response, adding he’d requested a “full threat assessment” by the U.S.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Brazilian political scientists describe the implicit agreement: “The deal is simple: you protect me and I let you run the Country and extract rents from it as you wish.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

That kind of empathy and implicit trust, which runs both ways, far outweighs any political considerations, the two said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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