explicitly

adverb

ex·​plic·​it·​ly ik-ˈspli-sət-lē How to pronounce explicitly (audio)
: in an explicit manner : clearly and without any vagueness or ambiguity
We were explicitly warned about what could happen.
The map shows explicitly where the fire alarms are located.
… did not know about the ferrying of weapons to the rebels, an activity explicitly forbidden by Congress.Neil A. Lewis

Examples of explicitly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
School shootings are an obvious one, made explicitly so by Archer seeing a giant AK-47 with the number 217 in red floating above a house. Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2025 Targeted explicitly toward positive outcomes that strengthen rather than weaken social bonds, environmental sustainability and individual empowerment. Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025 But unlike in years past, where Spiritism was used by the highly-privileged for spiritual and physical health improvements in private, the hiring of an Etsy witch has become a mass-market social media trend, rather than an explicitly religious act. Taylor Crumpton, Time, 2 Sep. 2025 Crucially, Brazil’s foreign policy has consistently refrained from adopting an explicitly anti-American or anti-Western posture. Hussein Kalout, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for explicitly

Word History

Etymology

explicit + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1657, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of explicitly was circa 1657

Cite this Entry

“Explicitly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explicitly. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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