tacit

adjective

tac·​it ˈta-sət 

1

: expressed or carried on without words or speech

the blush was a tacit answer

—Bram Stoker

2

: implied or indicated (as by an act or by silence) but not actually expressed

tacit consent

tacit admission of guilt

tacitly adverb

tacitness noun

Synonyms

• implicit
• implied
• unexpressed
• unspoken
• unvoiced
• wordless

Examples of tacit in a Sentence

While they got a frosty public response, officials say the private message was a tacit green light. —Mark Thompson, Time, 16 Nov. 1998

Magic requires tacit cooperation of the audience with the magician—an abandonment of skepticism … the willing suspension of disbelief. —Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1996

What a writer must always remember, however, is that with rare exceptions—Edith Wharton then, Louis Auchincloss now—he or she is never really in society; a temporary visa is issued with the tacit stipulation that it will be withdrawn and access denied if confidences are betrayed. —John Gregory Dunne, Harp, 1989

Myself, I like to play the field and see what happens, but there are certain tacit rules: do not mix freshwater fish with those from the sea; do not mix coarse fat fish with delicate ones … —M. F. K. Fisher, With Bold Knife and Fork, 1969

She felt that she had her parents' tacit approval to borrow the car.

There was a tacit agreement that he would pay off the loan.

Recent Examples on the Web

The agency withdrew its tacit support in 2022 and is currently enmeshed in litigation with the project, which is a collaboration between the Victoria University of Wellington and the political tech and data provider Aristotle. —Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024

There is tacit acceptance from Vector that some of this resembles a video game. —Sebastian Shukla, CNN, 16 Oct. 2024

The decision to pull the lever for Kamala Harris or Donald Trump has become a tacit referendum on whether to endorse a strict but still relatively moderate approach—or one of the most extreme anti-immigrant agendas in American history. —Gary Stix, Scientific American, 10 Oct. 2024

High engagement on platforms like LinkedIn also serves as a tacit form of social proof, which compounds over time. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French or Latin; Middle French tacite, from Latin tacitus silent, from past participle of tacēre to be silent; akin to Old High German dagēn to be silent

First Known Use

circa 1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

tacit

adjective

tac·​it ˈtas-ət 

1

: expressed without words or speech

2

: understood or made known (as by an act or by silence) though not actually expressed

tacit approval

tacitly adverb

tacitness noun

Legal Definition

tacit

adjective

tac·​it ˈta-sət 

1

: implied (as by an act or by silence) rather than express

a tacit admission

2

in the civil law of Louisiana : arising by operation of law

a tacit mortgage

tacitly adverb