tacit

[tas-it]

adjective

1. understood without being openly expressed; implied.

   tacit approval.

   Synonyms: implicit, unsaid, unspoken, unexpressed

2. silent; saying nothing.

   a tacit partner.

3. unvoiced or unspoken.

   a tacit prayer.

tacit

/ ˈtæsɪt /

adjective

1. implied or inferred without direct expression; understood

   a tacit agreement

2. created or having effect by operation of law, rather than by being directly expressed

Other Word Forms

• tacitly adverb
• tacitness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tacit¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin tacitus “silent,” past participle of tacēre “to be silent” (cognate with Gothic thahan; akin to Old Norse thegja )

Word History and Origins

Origin of tacit¹

C17: from Latin tacitus, past participle of tacēre to be silent

Example Sentences

It was a tacit admission that despite campaigning on a platform of "change" before the general election, there is plenty of evidence that plenty of folk think there has been nowhere near enough of it.

From BBC

Within these communities exists an informal collectivism, an ebb and flow of residents, of families, of neighbors coming together at farmer’s markets, in city parks and common spaces, in a tacit recognition of shared values.

From Los Angeles Times

"I think Netanyahu would not make this move unless he had some sort of consent or tacit support from Washington."

From BBC

The new measures might be a tacit admission by the Israelis that they need to do more.

From BBC

Scapegoats are vilified as a tacit warning to cult members, an example of what could happen to them if they stray too far from the rest of the flock.

From Salon

Related Words

• implicit 
• implied 
• indirect 
• unspoken