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

• tacitness noun
• tacitly adverb

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

Ticketmaster profited from the allegedly illegal tactics and the "tacit agreement" with brokers, regulators said.

From BBC

That, in itself, is a tacit acknowledgement that from No10's point of view nowhere near enough people could say what he stands for now.

From BBC

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

Related Words

• implicit 
• implied 
• indirect 
• unspoken