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implicit

adjective

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im·plic·it | \ im-ˈpli-sət

Definition of implicit

1a : 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

3a : 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

Other Words from implicit Synonyms & Antonyms Implicit With a Preposition More Example Sentences Phrases Containing implicit Learn More About implicit

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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web Of course, implicit in the actual-malice standard is the idea that, in some instances, public figures or officials may have their reputations harmed by false statements, and will not be able to successfully sue for damages. — Fabio Bertoni, The New Yorker, 3 June 2022 In a new documentary titled Fair Play, Eve Rodsky takes charge of this due conversation—illuminating the invisible labor of domestic women and moms, while addressing the imbalanced implicit gender roles still at play in many homes. — Sabrina Park, Harper's BAZAAR, 1 June 2022 Retired officers who spoke to The Associated Press described examples of explicit and implicit bias. — Nomaan Merchant, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 May 2022 Arriving is getting the job—and there were explicit and implicit systems in place that needed to change in order to realize the increase of women arriving to positions of leadership. — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes, 26 Apr. 2022 And our peer review system – depending on how it is implemented – suffers from explicit and implicit biases. — Gilda Barabino, Scientific American, 16 Aug. 2021 There is sexism implicit in collective hatred toward Anne Hathaway. — Jenny Singer, Glamour, 24 May 2022 Levin Becker’s implicit point is that American lyrics can be broken into Straight and True Rhymers, captive to perfect soundalikes, and Slant and Tumble Rhymers, responsive to American speech in all its variety. — Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 23 May 2022 But the short, vague message was criticized by some on Instagram, most notably by the Ukrainian DJ Nastia, who felt the message only underscored Kraviz’s implicit support of Putin. — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 20 May 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'implicit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.