implicit
- Implied or understood without being directly stated.
- Complete and unquestioning, as in implicit trust.
In a sentence
- There was an implicit agreement among the team members that overtime would not be expected.
- She placed implicit trust in her mentor's guidance throughout her career.
Usage note. Do not confuse 'implicit' with 'explicit'; implicit means unstated but understood, while explicit means clearly and directly expressed.
Where it comes from
English implicit · entered English late 16th c.
From Latin 'implicitus', past participle of 'implicare' meaning 'to enfold or entangle', from 'in-' (in) + 'plicare' (to fold). Entered English in the late 16th century, initially in the sense of something entangled or entwined, then shifting to its modern sense of something implied rather than expressed.