The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20190709070828/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/implicit

implicit

adjective

im·plic·it | \ im-ˈpli-sət

Definition of implicit

1a : capable of being understood from something else though unexpressed : implied an implicit assumption

b : 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

c 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

2 : being without doubt or reserve : unquestioning an implicit trust

Other Words from implicit Synonyms & Antonyms Implicit With a Preposition More Example Sentences Learn More about implicit

Keep scrolling for more

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

The department underwent implicit bias training last year and earlier partnered with the Justice Department on an officer training video focused on interacting with the transgender community. — Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, "Transgender deaths draw attention to lack of LGBTQ resources in Prince George’s," 22 June 2019 That report prompted significant changes, including de-escalation courses and implicit bias training. — CBS News, "Phoenix police chief responds after cops pull gun, threaten parents of alleged 4-year-old shoplifter," 17 June 2019 The program, which will affect about 80% of cases starting next month, is the result of Gascón asking the Stanford Computational Policy Lab to build technology to remove the potential for implicit bias during prosecutors’ initial review. — Taylor Kate Brown, SFChronicle.com, "Bay Briefing: ‘Blind’ justice in SF — via machine learning?," 13 June 2019 Scientific research supports the notion that our implicit biases do nothing to help curb obesity rates or affect positive change in any way. — Dara Pettinelli Kapoor, Health.com, "What Nike’s Plus-Size Mannequin Means for All Women, Even Tanya Gold," 11 June 2019 Last fall, the department began implementing implicit bias training for its officers. — Uriel J. Garcia, azcentral, "Phoenix police union defends officers identified in report of racist Facebook comments," 6 June 2019 Hoover City School officials have initiated efforts to learn more about student experiences at school and will conduct implicit bias training for teachers before the start of the new school year. — al.com, "Hoover trying to end hate speech that disrupts school," 4 June 2019 But obviously, implicit in an agreement like this, is that this is not going to be disclosed. — Fox News, "Scaramucci, McCarthy on if Cohen, Manafort cases hurt Trump," 21 Aug. 2018 And the aura of spirituality implicit in the many radiant abstract shapes that had, for decades, floated like power generators through the work, remained ever-present. — New York Times, "Growing, Faltering, Changing, Growing: Lessons From Kay WalkingStick," 7 June 2018

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.