implicit

adjective

im·​plic·​it im-ˈpli-sət How to pronounce implicit (audio)
1
a
: capable of being understood from something else though unexpressed : implied
an implicit assumption
Still another problem for Middle America was how corporations … were allowed to breach the implicit social contract of the postwar era.Kevin Phillips
compare explicit sense 1a
b
: present but not consciously held or recognized
implicit attitudes
implicit racism
see also implicit bias
2
: not lessened by doubt : absolute, complete
There's an implicit trust between them.
The implicit confidence that her destiny must be one of luxurious ease …George Eliot
3
a
: involved in the nature or essence of something though not revealed, expressed, or developed : potential
… a sculptor may see different figures implicit in a block of stone.John Dewey
… made a deepfake video to demonstrate the dangers implicit in the technology.Andrea Bellemare
b
of a mathematical function : defined by an expression in which the dependent variable and the one or more independent variables are not separated on opposite sides of an equation compare explicit sense 4
implicitly adverb
implicitness noun

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Implicit With a Preposition

Implicit is often followed by a preposition, and that preposition is usually in:

"American Horror Story" is a pretty grisly show. No one should be too surprised by that revelation — it’s sort of the promise implicit in its name, after all.
—Lacy Baugher, The Baltimore Sun, 3 Nov. 2016

On less frequent occasions, implicit may be followed by from, with, or within:

[S]uch a ruling seemed implicit from Fullam’s comments.
—Sean O’Sullivan, The News Journal (Wilmington, DE), 4 October 2006

Implicit with the discovery of oil was the hard truth that it wasn't going to last forever.
—Warren Jones et al., Alaska Dispatch News, 1 June 2016

Russia's president was explicit, calling on the West to pressure Kiev to deliver results. Implicit within that was a threat: that Moscow will not play along with the talks forever.
—Sarah Rainsford, BBC News, 14 Aug. 2016

The black dead ocean looked like a mirror of the night; it was cold, implicit with dread and death…
—Norman Mailer, The Naked and the Dead, 1948

Examples of implicit in a Sentence

This assumption, implicit in innumerable statements by President Reagan … dictates most of our current political and military programs. Henry Steele Commager, Atlantic, March 1982
… in the best stories the end is implicit from the beginning. Joan Aiken, The Writer, May 1968
The goodness and strength implicit within Pen unfold but slowly. John DeBruyn, LIT, Spring 1966
The movies borrowed from other arts on the way to finding methods implicit in their medium. Bernard DeVoto, The World of Fiction, 1950
There is a sense of moral duty implicit in her writings. I have implicit trust in her honesty.
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.
But also implicit in this genre of social media content, some critics and observers say, are more insidious messages — ones that distort our perceptions of masculinity. Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2025 This executive order made manifest the implicit message of the first two: that Trump intends to deter large law firms from pursuing the pro-bono cases against Administration policies that plagued him during his first term and that threaten to do so in his second. Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2025 In addition to the anti-utility bias, the gas companies contend is implicit in the op-ed and related text message exchange, the companies are arguing in court that the rate decisions should be invalidated because of procedural errors by PURA over the year-long inquiry that ended in the rate cuts. Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2025 As more and more of these videos appeared, a backlash built from users concerned about an implicit body-shaming message. Issy Ronald, CNN, 24 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for implicit

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French & Medieval Latin; French implicite, going back to Middle French, "complicated, tangled," borrowed from Medieval Latin implicitus "involved, complicated, implied," going back to Latin, "involved, intricate," variant past participle of implicāre "to fold about itself, entwine, involve" — more at implicate

Note: The Latin verb implicāre has, along with other derivatives of -plicāre, two possible past participles; see note at explicit.

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of implicit was in 1613

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Implicit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/implicit. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

implicit

adjective
im·​plic·​it im-ˈplis-ət How to pronounce implicit (audio)
1
: understood though not put clearly into words
an implicit agreement
2
: being without doubt : absolute, complete
implicit trust
implicitly adverb
implicitness noun

Legal Definition

implicit

adjective
im·​plic·​it im-ˈpli-sət How to pronounce implicit (audio)
: capable of being recognized though unexpressed : implied
implicitly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on implicit

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