(ˈ)im|plisə̇t, əmˈp-, usu -ə̇d.+V adjective
Etymology: Latin implicitus, past participle of implicare to infold, involve, implicate, engage — more at employ
1. obsolete : tangled or twisted together : interwoven
2.
a.
(1) : tacitly involved in something else : capable of being understood from something else though unexpressed : capable of being inferred : implied — compare explicit
draws no social conclusions of his own, but they are implicit — Robert Lasch
the artistic standards of our time are … implicit rather than codified — Michael Kitson
(2) : involved in the nature or essence of something though not revealed, expressed, or developed : potential
the oak is implicit in the acorn
a sculptor may see different figures implicit in a block of stone — John Dewey
the drama implicit in an idea becomes explicit when it is shown as a point of view which a person holds and upon which he acts — F.J.Hoffman
b.
(1) : not appearing overtly : confined in the organism
implicit behavior
implicit speech
(2) of a culture : capable of being derived only as an implication from behavior : not apparent or overt to the people it characterizes : tacit and underlying
3.
a. : lacking doubt or reserve : unquestioning , wholehearted
implicit obedience
an implicit trust
b. obsolete : unqualified , absolute
implicit ignorance — Francis Bacon
4. archaic : marked by an implicit faith, credulity, or obedience
• im·plic·it·ly adverb
• im·plic·it·ness noun -es