Explicit and Implicit

Explicit

Explicit adjective - So clearly expressed as to leave no doubt about the meaning.
Usage example: explicit instructions about what to do in an emergency

Implicit is an antonym for explicit in topics: frank, specific.

Nearby Word: explicitly

Implicit

Implicit adjective - Understood although not put into words.
Usage example: the implicit agreement among members of the outing club is that everyone pays his or her own way on all trips

Explicit is an antonym for implicit in topics: implied, absolute.

Nearby Word: implicitly

Both words in one sentence

  • Ad Hominem This is a response to an implicit or explicit appeal to an illegitimate authority.
    Source: Ad Hominem
  • Instantly Proven Wrong Also Tempting Fate mostly applies to predictions (explicit or implicit) that characters make about their own futures.
  • All Women Are Lustful That's what Hugh Hefner has been saying in ''Playboy by having either an explicit or an implicit male presence in the pictorials.
Cite this Source
Implicit and Explicit. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/explicit/implicit
Explicit & Implicit. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/explicit/implicit>.
Implicit or Explicit. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/explicit/implicit.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "explicit" and "implicit" have occurred on timeline